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BT  846  .M2 

MacDonald,  James  M.  1812- 

1876. 

My  father's  house,  or,  The 

Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


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My  FATHER'S  House; 


OR, 


€\t  Irittiett  flf  \\)t  %\k. 


JAMES  M.   MACDONALD,  D.D. 


NEW    TOEK: 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER,    145   NASSAU   STREET. 

MDOOOLV. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S55,  by 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


W.    n.   TINSON,   STEREOTYPE!?,   24  BEEKMAN  ST. 
GEO.     RUSSELL,   &    CO.,  PRINTERS,   01    BEEKMAN   ST. 


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REV.  GARDINER  SPRIXG,  D.D.,  &  LL,D, 


THE    FOLLOWING   WORK 


JWsputfuIIs   3  u  s  r  r  1 6  .e  & , 


THE    AUTHOR 


PREFACE. 


Heavex,  if  mere  speculation  be  put  entirely  aside,  cannot 
be  too  often  the  theme  of  our  thoughts,  our  tongues,  or  our 
pens.  Every  one,  who  has  been  called  to  part  with  pious 
friends  at  death,  and  knows  that  he  must  soon  follow  them, 
unless  his  mind  has  become  wholly  worldly  and  callous,  or  is 
debased  by  ignorance,  or  vice,  will  often  reflect  on  the  state, 
and  home  of  the  departed.  As  a  guide  to  such  reflection, 
this  volume  has  been  prepared.  It  does  not  of  course  aim 
to  supersede,  nor  even  aspire  to  a  place  by  the  side  of,  such 
works  as  Baxter  and  Howe's  ;  it  discusses,  however,  the 
teachings  of  Scripture  upon  some  topics,  which  it  did  not 
fall  within  the  design  of  those  incomparable  writers  to 
notice  at  all.  The  highly  practical  and  touching  nature  of 
the  subject,  the  author  has  studied  to  keep  in  view,  through- 
out :  and  should  any  of  those  numerous  persons  or  families 
to  whom  he  has  been  called,  during  the  course  of  his  minis- 
try, to  proffer  the  consolations  of  the  Gospel,  refer  to  the 
following  pages,  they  will  discover  in  them  a  discussion  of 
those  topics,  with  which  he  sought  to  fortify  their  minds,  in 


VI  l'KE  !■'  A  C  K  . 

the  hour  of  bitter  trial.  Iu  presenting  them  here,  he  prays 
that  he  may  be  made  the  instrument,  not  only  in  farther 
consoling  the  afflicted,  but  in  persuading  believers  "  to  give 
the  more  earnest  heed  to  the  things  which  they  have  heard," 
and  unbelievers  to  neglect  no  longer  the  "great  salvation." 

The  author  has  carefully  sought  not  to  invade  the  reserve 
with  which  the  Word  of  God  surrounds  this  subject.  Like 
the  bounds  which  were  set  about  Sinai  in  the  wilderness,  it 
was  doubtless  designed  to  protect  "the  city  of  the  living 
God,"  from  irreverent  approach,  or  from  a  trifling  and  pro- 
fane gaze.  Moreover,  probably  all  that  we  are  able  "  to 
bear  now "  (John  xvi.  12.),  has  been  revealed  ;  and  any 
attempt  to  attain  to  greater  "  definiteness,"  in  respect  to 
the  locality,  the  particular  scenery,  and  the  employments  of 
heaven,  cannot  promote  reverence  or  true  devotional  feel- 
ing. Nevertheless,  "  those  things  which  are  revealed  belong 
unto  us,  and  our  children,  for  ever,"  and  we  should  be  as 
careful  to  study  and  teach  them,  as  we  are  to  stop  at  the 
boundary,  which  separates  them  from  the  domain  of  specula- 
tion. 

It  has  seemed  to  the  author,  that  a  work,  stating,  distinctly 
aud  carefully,  Christian  doctrine  on  the  subject  of  this 
volume,  is  peculiarly  called  for,  at  a  time  when  a  morbid 
interest  in  so  many  quarters,  is  manifested,  and  delusions 
are  so  rife,  respecting  the  world  of  spirits.  The  sublime 
verities  of  the  Bible,  as  the  only  authorized  messages  from 
the  spiritual  world,  are  best  suited  to  expose  the  puerile 
weakness  of  all  other  professed  messages ;  and  are,  therefore, 
the  best  safeguard  to  those  who  are  in  danger  of  being  led 


Preface.  vii 

astray.  It  is  the  uninstructed  mind,  or  it  is  the  mind  un- 
settled and  afloat,  as  to  the  truth  of  Christianity,  or  as  to 
its  fundamental  doctrines,  or  that  has  not  learned  to  receive 
the  "Word  of  God  with  docility,  and  submission  to  its 
authority,  that  is  in  danger  of  being  carried  away  by  every 
wind  of  doctrine,  by  sleight  of  men  and  cunning  craftiness. 

James  Madison  Macdoxald. 

Princeton,  JVew  Jersci'. 
August  20.  1855. 


CONTENTS. 


i. 

IMPERFECT     KNOWLEDGE. 

Out  limited  knowledge  of  the  present,  past  and  future — The  glory  of  heaven 
not  to  be  conjectured  from  the  believer's  adoption — Heaven  an  attractive 
and  profitable  subject — Important  caution — Apocalyptic  descriptions — A 
dangerous  mode  of  interpreting  sensible  images — Passages  from  Augustine, 
Baxter  and  John  Howe — An  apostle's  ignorance, 9 — 25 

II. 

FALSE  VIEWS. 
Superiority  of  the  religion  of  the  Bible  to  every  other — Its  revelations  of  a 
future  life  fitly  crown  the  divine  dispensations — The  Bible  ignored — Scandi- 
navian bards  and  Druids — Aborigines  of  North  America — Ancient  skeptics 
representatives  of  modern — Indian  philosophy — Modification  of  Brahmin- 
ism — Early  Greek  schools — Pantheism,  ancient  and  modern  identical — 
Socrates  and  Plato— Cicero — Mohammedan  paradise— Swedcnborgianism  and 
modern  "spiritualism" — Give  back  the  uncorrupted  Word  of  God! — True 
views  as  divinely  revealed,  26 — 52 

III. 
THE      GLORY     OF     HEAVEN. 

A  preceding  caution  not  to  be  misinterpreted — The  caution  further  urged — 
Low  and  unworthy  views  of  Christians — True  glory  of  heaven,  what — Divine 
perfections  displayed — Perfect  subjection  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  to 
the  will  of  God — The  peace  of  that  world  never  disturbed— God  worshipped 
in  the  beauty  of  holiness— No  interruption  to  the  perfect  service — The  works 
of  God  understood — Progress  in  knowledge — Love — AH  confirmed  in  holi- 
HESS— Holiness  indispensable  as  a  qualification  for  heaven,  .        .        .        53 — 67 


2  Contexts. 

pj.cn 
IV. 

THE  PLACE. 
Heaven  not  a  mere  state  of  being — Enoch,  Elijah,  ascension  of  Christ,  resurrec- 
tion— Heaven,  where — Dr.  Chalmers — G.  S.  Faber,  Ii.D. — John  xiv.,  2,  8 — 
2  Peter  iii.,  7,10,  etc. — Doom  of  the  earth — Its  destruction  not  annihilation — 
Man's  complex  nature,  in  a  future  state — Sir  David  Brewster  quoted — The 
reticence  of  Scripture — Jesus  the  way,  angel  guides,     ....        68 — S3 

V. 

NO  MORE  SEA. 
The  sea  a  vast  cemetery — Giving  up  its  dead — A  glorious  issue — Animated 
figures  of  the  Apocalypse — Heaven  suited  to  the  glorified  bodies  and  souls 
of  the  redeemed — The  constitution  of  things  changed — No  depravity  to  be 
hemmed  in — No  unrecovered  provinces  of  moral  darkness — No  instability 
there — No  Mystery — No  feeble  types  required— Christ  in  his  glorified 
humanity, 84 — 96 

VI. 

no    pain;    no   sorrow;    no    more    death. 

Suffering  among  beings,  made  perfect,  conceivable — Want— Considering  the 
poor — No  poverty  in  heaven — Old  age — The  young  preacher,  and  his  pulpit 
hearers — Personal  deformity,  etc. — The  deaf-mute — The  cripple  of  more  than 
fifty  years— Sickness— Consumption — The  earth  mellow  with  graves— Death- 
War — Pestilence — Death  a  conquered  foe — The  anticipated  shout,      .        97 — 114 

VII. 

NO     NIGHT      THE R  E . 

The  Phenomena  and  uses  of  night — Its  mission  accomplished— The  Father 
of  lights,  without  parallax — Absence  of  night,  in  its  figurative  sense,  the 
most  important — Metaphorical  sense  of  "night"  and  " darkness,"  " day  " 
and  "light" — Ignorance  of  God,  wide-spread  and  long-continued — Repre- 
sentatives of  heathenism — Not  a  shadow  of  this  darkness  in  heaven Uni- 
versal and  perpetual  day — Imperfect  knowledge  of  natural  things — Mistakes — 
Heresies— None  of  these  in  heaven — Harmony  of  holiness  and  truth— Capa- 
bility of  intellectual  improvement — Man's  knowledge  of  himself— Perceptions, 
clear  and  infallible— Intuition  of  truth— No  spiritual  night— David— Job— 
Cowper— Henry  Martyn— Edward  Payson, 115—135 

VIII. 

NO      TEMPLE      THEREIN. 

The  figurative  and  the  literal— No  literal  temple  in  heaven— Ordinances  at  an 

end— Necessary  now— The  piety  which  professes  to  have  outgrown  worship 

and  ordinances,  counterfeit  or  fugitive— Significance  of  the  tabernacle  and 

temple — The  "  Holy  Place  "  now  open  to  all  sincere  worshippers— No  priests 


I    O  X  T  E  NTS. 


things— The  "Holy  of  Holies"  becomes  the  "Father's"  house— Christ's 
glorified  humanity  "  the  tabernacle  of  God"— Nature  of  true  religion,  and 
acceptable  worship— Vanity  of  imposing  external  forms— President  Hopkins 
quoted, 136—151 

IX. 

SEEING     GOD. 
No  likeness  or  image  of  God — Theophanies— Abraham  at  Mature — Jacob  at 

Bethel — The  gate  of  heaven — The  burning  bramble — The  ground  holy The 

pillar   of  cloud  and  of  fire — A  perpetual  Theophany — Shekinah— Spiritual 

presence    on    earth — David — Peter — Thomas — Paul — John — John     "Welch 

Brain  ard  and  Martyn— Rutherford  and  Leighton — Rev.  John  Macdonald — 
Dr.  Payson — A  pious  elder — A  small  ray  of  heavenly  light — Spiritual  mani- 
festations in  heaven — Dr.  John  Dick  quoted — The  unveiled  vision — John 
Howe  quoted — Bishop  Patrick  quoted — Tillotson  quoted — Bishop  Hobart 
quoted— Robert  Hall  quoted — Will  there  be  any  objective  glory? — Howe's 
and  Tillotson's  opinions — The  glorified  humanity  of  Christ — "  God  manifest" 
thereby, 152—172 

X. 

ABSENT     FROM     THE     BODY. 

New  home  of  the  separate  spirit — 2  Corinthians  v.  6,  7,  8,  considered— Philip- 
pians  i.  23,  24 — Dr.  Campbell  quoted — Promise  to  the  dying  malefactor — Dr. 
Gregory  quoted — Martyr  Stephen — The  moment  of  death — Dr.  J.  A.  Alexan- 
der quoted— Hades — Psalm  xvi.  10 — "  Paradise,"  heaven — John  xx.  17 — 
Christ's  prayer  on  the  cross — Parable  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus — 
Paul's  vision,  2  Corinthians  xii.  2-4 — Departed  saints  in  Christ's  presence — 
Doctrine  of  the  primitive  church — Brigham  quoted — Bishop  Sherlock — 
Consolation, 173 — 1S7 

XI. 

THE     BODY     RESTORED. 

Death  reigning — New  Testament  doctrine— 1  Corinthians  xv.  13, 14 — What  the 
denial  of  a  resurrection  involves — The  apostle's  analogy — Objection  considered 

Observation  and  experiment — Prof.  Dod  quoted — Bush  on  the  resurrection — 

Dr.  Blagden  quoted — Lines  of  John  Flavel — Mistake  of  the  skeptical — Bush's 
theory  refuted — Pros.  Davies  and  Melville — The  latter  quoted — The  resurrec- 
tion-body—1  Corinthians  xv.  .°>9— Bloomfield— Precious  Faith,    .        .        18S— 201 

XII. 
RELATION     OF     THE     JUDGMENT     TO  HEAVEN. 
A  further  preparatory  stage— The  first  sight  and  sound  after  the  resurrection— 
The  advent— Great  purpose  of  the  last  judgment — The  process— The  figura- 
tive and  literal— The  books  opened— The  Judge— His  humanity— His  divinity 


xn  Contents. 

PAGE 

— Not  an  arbitrary  decision  which  saves  the  righteous — Works  as  the  evidence 
of  faith — Inquisition  made  for  them — Prominence  given  to  works  of  charity — 
The  saved,  once  sinners,  who  deserved  perdition — Doubts  removed  and  calum- 
nies refuted — The  Judgment,  when — Reason  why  the  day  is  unknown, 

XIII. 

ANGEL-COMPANIONS. 

Society  of  heaven — Angels  constitute  no  inconsiderable  part  of  it — Their  nature 
— Their  intelligence — Purity — Congenial  companions — Their  indebtedness  to 
Christ — John  Howe  quoted — "  The  children  of  the  resurrection  "  equal  to  the 
angels — Heavenly  hierarchy — No  emulations — Sweet  intimacy — Their  interest 
in  the  plan  of  redemption — Coeval  with  man's  revolt — Their  agency — Super- 
naturalism — Their  presence  on  earth — Their  ministry  to  Christ — Their  joy 
over  a  repentant  sinner — Ministering  spirits  to  the  heirs  of  salvation — Their 
presence  at  the  death-bed — Mrs.  S.  L.  Smith — Lazarus  and  the  angels — Never 
weary  of  celebrating  redemption, 217 — 235 

XIV. 
RECOGNITION. 

Identity  and  resemblance  in  the  resurrection — The  Son  of  God  the  chief  attrac- 
tion of  heaven — Dr.  A.  Alexander  quoted — The  Armenian  princess — Christ's 
glory  and  honour  seen  in  the  redeemed — Recounting  the  dealings  of  God — 
Recognition  will  enlarge  the  views  of  the  divine  mercy,  etc. — Heaven  a  world 
of  knowledge — The  communion  of  saints — Hymns  of  Miller  and  Fawcett 
quoted — Worship  of  heaven,  social — Dr.  Alexander  again  quoted — Andrew 
Fuller — King  David — Luke  xiii.  2S — Matthew  viii.  11 — Muston's  "  Recogni- 
tion" quoted — Colossians  i.,  23 — Dr.  Paley — 1  Thessalonians  ii.  19,  20 — 
Mant's  "Happiness  of  the  Blessed"  quoted— Dr.  McKnight — Objection — 
Practical  use, 235—256 

XV. 
LITTLE  CHILDREN  IN  H  E  A  V  E  N  . 
The  dying  infant  always  an  infant — A  home  without  children — Perfect  children 
— Rule  by  which  the  heathen  are  judged — Will  not  condemn  infants — No 
future  punishment  denounced  against  them — Saved  without  personal  accept- 
ance of  the  righteousness  of  Christ — Imputation  of  Adam's  sin — Romans  v. 
12-21 — Blessings  purchased  by  Christ  exceed  the  evils  incurred  by  Adam — 
Longfellow  quoted — Infant  salvation  not  inconsistent  with  any  of  the  doc- 
trines of  grace — Regeneration  of  infants — Sovereignty  of  divine  grace — 
Psalm  viii.  2 — Rev.  Mr.  Schauffler  quoted — J.  Montgomery  quoted — Matthew 
xviii.  5,  etc. — Matthew  xix.  14 — John  Newton  quoted — Dr.  Scott,  Dr.  Russell, 
Calvin,  Dr.  Hodge,  and  Dr.  Bethune  quoted — God's  kingdom  filling  up — All 
dying  infants  saved — Infanticide  overruled — Loss  of  infants  afflictive — The 
shadow  by  the  hearthstone — Beauty  in  death — Christianity — Dr.  Chalmers 
quoted— The  irreligious  parent  bereaved  of  children,  addressed,      .       256—278 


G  0  N  TENTS.  Xiil 

PACK 

XVI. 

WHO     WILL     BE     THERE. 

Jit.  Sinai  and  Mt.  Sion — Happiness  affected  by  society — Apostle  John's  descrip- 
tion of  the  heavenly  society — Spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect — Some  whom 
we  know  are  in  heaven — Abel — Enoch — Noah — Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob — 
Joseph — Moses — David— Elijah — Sarah,  Miriam,  and  holy  women — Isaiah, 
Jeremiah,  and  David — Thief  that  died  on  the  cross — Stephen  the  martyr,  and 
Saul  the  persecutor — Peter — John — The  mother  of  our  Lord — Mary  Magda- 
lene, and  Mary  of  Bethany — Cloud  of  primitive  martyrs — Luther,  Zuingle, 
Calvin,  Knox,  we  may  expect  to  meet  there — Also  Watts,  Edwards,  etc. — 
Christ  the  door — Practical  question, 279 — 296 

XVII. 

WHO  WILL  NOT  BE  THERE. 
The  oracles  of  God  have  spoken — Cain — His  crime  and  punishment — Antedi- 
luvians— Their  Wickedness — Cities  of  the  Plain — Their  immorality  and 
destruction — Pharaoh — His  impiety  and  destruction — Balaam — Saul — Ahab — 
Belshazzar — Herod  the  Great — Herod  Antipas — Herod  Agrippa—  Judas 
Iscariot — Impenitent  thief — Pilate — Monsters  of  uninspired  history — Com- 
panionship of  the  lost — Spirits  of  wickedness  executing  one  another's  punish- 
ment,        297— 31S 

y  xvra. 

N  0  T  II I  N  G     THAT     DEFILKTH. 

Exclusion  of  impure  elements  from  the  heavenly  society — Idolaters — The  law 
which  condemns  them — Case  of  Cornelius — Covetous  men — The  idolatry  of 
Gold — Extortioners — Revilers — The  impure — Liars — Profane  swearers — Sor- 
cerers and  necromancers — Why  they  were  excluded  from  Canaan — Danger 
of  familiarity  with  delusions — Drunkards — Future  blessedness  and  present 
character — Our  existence  knows  no  interruption — The  same  intellectual  and 
moral  faculties  in  the  future  world — Death  but  a  transition — Does  not  regene- 
rate character — Reason,  Memory,  Conscience,  Society  among  the  lost — Mu- 
tual workers  of  iniquity  retributors  of  wrath — Malignant  passions,  319 — 339 

XIX. 

THE     GUIDE. 

Darkness  and  difficulties  of  the  way — Reason  bewildered — Man's  conscious 
guilt — The  attributes  of  God  seen  in  his  works,  insufficient — An  old  question 
unsolved — A  lifeless  statue — Her  priests — Their  teachings  unsatisfactory — 
Lord  Bolingbroke — The  true  light — Sinai  and  Calvary — Their  teachings — The 
justified  also  glorified  there— Intellectual  light  deficient— The  Bible  all  suffi- 
cient— Faith  superior  to  sense — A  pregnant  text — Skeptics  among  nominal 
Christians — The  false  banner — A  parti-colored  array — Province  of  Reason 
in  Religion, 340—349 


xiv  Contents. 

FACH 

XX. 

THE  I'll  ETA  RATI  ON. 
An  ice-palace — Gay  hopes — The  test — Building  too  low— The  Rock  of  Ages — 
Holiness  essential— What  Is  it?— Holiness  of  God— Of  angels— Of  man  in 
Paradise — Covenant  of  works — Another  economy — Effects  of  apostasy — 
God's  remedy — The  righteousness  of  Faith — Faith  described— The  merits  of 
Christ  abjured — Rev.  E.  S.  Gannett,  D.D — No  mercy  of  God,  out  of  Christ — 
Necessity  and  nature  of  regeneration — Salvation  by  grace  not  repugnant  to 
good  works — The  moral  law  unrepealed — Rule  of  the  last  judgment — No 
mixture  of  good  and  evil  in  heaven — Reason  for  explicitness — A  solemn 
appeal — Lost  time — How  much  remains? — The  crumbling  sand-bank — Death 
ever  active — The  grave  illumined — The  pilgrim — Dr.  Spring  quoted — "  The 
Hill  clear  "—Glory, 350— 309 


My  FATHER'S  House. 


i. 


IMPERFECT     KNOWLEDGE. 

OF  the  present  we  know  little.  Of  the  past  we 
know  less  even,  than  of  the  present.  An  epitome 
of  the  world's  history  is  all  that  has  been  written. 
We  have  an  outline  of  the  origin  and  progress  of 
nations,  of  revolutions,  and  decisive  battles,  of  tyrants 
and  great  warriors.  Of  the  future  we  know  least  of 
all.  We  know  that  Jehovah  will  reign  for  ever.  We 
can  understand  some  of  the  predictions  of  Scripture. 
We  know  that  Christ's  kingdom  is  to  come  on  earth, 
and  His  will  to  be  done,  even  as  it  is  done  in  heaven. 
We  know  that  our  souls  are  to  exist  for  ever.  We 
know  that  God  has  provided  an  eternal  home,  in 
His  presence,  for  all  who  believe  on  His  Son,  Jesus 
Christ.  But  we  know  comparatively  little  of  that 
perfect  and  blessed  world. 

1* 


10  My    FATHER'S    Hoi 

The  adoption  of  believers  is  considered,  by  an 
Apostle,  as  one  of  the  most  astonishing  expressions 
of  the  Divine  condescension  and  love.  He  exclaims 
in  view  of  it,  "  Behold  what  manner  of  love  the 
Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be 
called  the  sons  of  God  I"*  But  he  declares  that 
it  is  impossible  from  this,  the  greatest  of  all  honours, 
bestowed  upon  believers  in  this  world,  to  conjecture 
the  future  glory  of  the  saints.  It  may  serve  to 
remind  them,  "  how  great  they  shall  be  made ;"  but 
"  it  cloth  not  yet  appear  what  they  shall  be,"  when 
they  shall  see  the  Son  of  God  as  He  is,  and  be 
made  like  Him. 

Heaven  is  a  most  attractive  subject  to  the  Chris- 
tian mind.  The  believer  knows  well  that  he  is  not 
to  continue  here  for  ever;  he  knows  that  he  shall 
remain  in  this  world  but  a  very  short  time.  Soon, 
he  expects  to  put  off  this  tabernacle,  and  then  he 
hopes  to  be  "  present  with  the  Lord."  "When  our 
pious  friends  die,  we  try  to  follow  them,  in  our 
thoughts,  to  that  better  land  to  which  we  believe 
they  have  been  taken.  "We  try  to  imagine  what  are 
their  employments  and  joys.  It  would  be  well  if  our 
thoughts  were  more  occupied  with  heavenly  things, 
and  less  taken  up  with  the  vanities  of  a  fleeting 
world.     How  large  a  place  this  subject  fills,  in  the 

*  1  John  iii.  1,  2. 


I  M  1*  B  R  F  E  C  T     K  X  0  Vvr  LEDGE.  11 

inspired  writings!  Baxter  and  Howe  gave  their 
thoughts  much  to  the  joys  of  heaven  ;  and  what  they 
have  written  is  worthy  of  being-  often  perused  and 
poudered.  The  more  the  mind  becomes  interested  in 
the  sacred  employments  and  divine  joys  of  the 
celestial  world,  the  less  it  will  be  fascinated  by  the 
fashion  of  this,  which  passeth  away. 

But,  in  our  thoughts  and  inquiries  respecting 
heaven,  there  is  an  important  caution  to  be  observed. 
It  is  this,  not  to  lessen  the  glory  and  perfection  of 
that  place,  by  our  manner  of  applying  the  sensible 
images  and  illustrations,  which  we  feel  constrained 
to  borrow  to  assist  our  minds  in  forming  some 
adequate  conceptions  of  it.  There  are  some  subjects 
that  set  all  rhetoric,  as  well  as  speculation,  at  defi- 
ance ;  and  this  is  one  of  them.  Our  imagery  must  be 
taken  from  sensible  things,  from  a  world,  which, 
however  it  may  present  to  us  many  objects  of  beauty 
and  sublimity,  is  marked  with  imperfection  every- 
where. Our  mental  faculties,  moreover,  are  feeble  ; 
in  comparison  with  what  they  shall  be,  they  are  as 
the  undeveloped  powers  of  childhood.  Heaven  is  a 
spiritual  world ;  this  is  material,  and  we,  the  inhabi- 
tants of  it,  are  creatures  of  sense.  These  considera- 
tions should  make  us  cautious,  lest  we  detract  from 
the  glory  of  heaven,  by  our  very  attempts  to  arrive 
at  some  adequate  conception  of  it. 

We  have  a  description  of  the  New  Jerusalem  in 


12  M  v    l'  A  T  H  E  R  '  S    11  o  use. 

the  Apocalypse ;  but  it  would  be  manifestly 
improper,  because  it  would  be  bringing  down  the  sub- 
ject to  a  very  low  level,  and  render  the  whole  incon- 
gruous, to  apply  to  it  a  literal  interpretation. 

"  And  he  carried  me  away,"  says  John,  "  in  the 
spirit,  to  a  great  and  high  mountain,  and  showed  me 
that  great  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem,  descending  out 
of  heaven  from  God,  having  the  glory  of  God :  and 
her  light  was  like  unto  a  stone  most  precious,  even 
like  a  jasper  stone,  clear  as  crystal;  and  had  a  wall 
great  and  high,  and  had  twelve  gates,  and  at  the 
gates  twelve  angels,  and  names  written  thereon, 
which  are  the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  the 
children  of  Israel ;  on  the  east,  three  gates ;  on  the 
north,  three  gates  ;  on  the  south,  three  gates  ;  and  on 
the  west,  three  gates.  And  the  wall  of  the  city  had 
twelve  foundations,  and  in  them  the  names  of  the 
twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb.  And  he  that  talked 
with  me  had  a  golden  reed  to  measure  the  city,  and 
the  gates  thereof,  and  the  walls  thereof.  And  the 
city  lieth  four-square,  and  the  length  is  as  large  as  the 
breadth:  and  he  measured  the  city  with  the  reed, 
twelve  thousand  furlongs.  The  length,  and  the 
breadth,  and  the  height  of  it  are  equal.  And  he 
measured  the  wall  thereof,  an  hundred  and  forty 
and  four  cubits,  according  to  the  measure  of  a  man, 
that  is,  of  the  angel."  *  The  inspired  writer  next 
Rey.  xxi.  10-17. 


Imperfect    Knowl e d g e .  13 

enumerates  the  precious  stones  of  which  the  founda- 
tions, the  walls,  and  the  gates  of  the  city  were  com- 
posed. jS~ow  it  would  be  a  perversion  of  this  subline 
vision  of  John  to  view  the  measurements,  so  particu- 
larly given,  as  literally  describing  the  plan  and  size 
of  the  heavenly  city ;  and  the  inscriptions  upon  the 
gates  and  foundations,  and  the  splendour  of  the  gates 
and  walls,  composed  of  so  many  precious  stones,  as  a 
literal  description.  The  city  is  represented  as  com- 
ing down  from  God  out  of  heaven.  John  from  the 
top  of  a  lofty  eminence  beholds  it.  It  was  thuee- 
hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  square.  The  wall 
was  two  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  high.  But  there 
were  eminences  within  the  walls  so  lofty  that  the  top 
of  the  highest  pinnacles  upon  their  summits  was 
three  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  above  the  base 
of  the  walls.  The  idea  of  a  city  of  such  dimensions, 
literally  descending  from  heaven  to  earth,  would  be 
maintained  by  no  sober  interpreter  of  the  Word  of 
God.  The  dimensions  are  given  simply  as  emblem- 
atical of  magnificence,  and  to  remind  us  that  we  are 
not  "  to  form  any  gross  conceptions  of  the  city." 
This  beautiful  city,  shining,  with  pearls  and  gold,  is 
compared  to  a  bride,  arrayed  in  her  marriage  attire. 
In  the  figurative  description,  there  is  nothing 
grotesque  or  disproportioned ;  every  part  is  appro- 
priate ;  and  it  is  well  sustained,  throughout.     It  was 


14  Mr    FATHER'S    House. 

twelve  thousand  furlongs,  or  fifteen  hundred  miles, 
in  circuit.  To  the  eye  of  the  Apostle,  there  rose  within 
the  walls  of  this  vast  city,  as  it  floated  down  from  the 
empyrean,  mountain-ranges,  upon  the  loftiest  summit 
of  which  towered  the  acropolis,  three  hundred  and 
seventy-five  miles  above  the  nethermost  of  its  twelve 
foundations.  These  foundations  were  decorated  with 
precious  stones  of  every  hue,  azure,  and  green,  and 
red,  and  blue,  and  golden.  The  wall,  which  sur- 
mounted them,  was  composed  of  the  same  precious 
stone  which  adorned  the  first  foundation,  jasper.  On 
each  side  of  the  square  were  three  gates ;  each  one 
composed  of  a  separate  Pearl.  The  material  with 
which  the  city  was  built,  within  the  walls,  was  "  pure 
gold  like  unto  clear  glass."  That  is,  the  gold  was 
resplendent,  like  glass,  in  the  beams  of  the  setting 
sun.  Even  the  streets  were  paved  with  the  same 
resplendent  material.  But  no  sun  shone  in  it,  or 
upon  it;  it  rather  shone  itself,  as  with  its  own  in- 
herent, unborrowed  light.  It  was  illuminated  with 
the  presence,  and  glory  of  God.  It  had  no  temple, 
like  that  which  adorned  the  earthly  Jerusalem ;  it 
was  itself  a  temple — a  temple-city;  or  rather,  the 
Lord  God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb  were  the  temple 
of  it.  It  would  be  impracticable  and  absurd,  to 
attempt  a  literal  interpretation  of  this  description  of 
heaven.     All  this  vastness,  these  precious  stones  and 


I  m  r  k  r  t  e  c  t    Knowledge.  1 5 

gold,  were  simply  designed  to  set  forth  the  grandeur 
of  that  world,  and  especially  its  perfection  as  "  having 
the  glory  of  God." 

Nothing  can  be  more  exciting  to  an  imaginative 
mind  than  to  dwell  upon  the  abode,  the  employments, 
and  the  joys  of  the  pious  dead ;  and  hence  the  impor- 
tance of  the  caution  not  to  adopt  the  creations  of  a 
fertile,  inventive  imagination,  in  forming  our  ideas  of 
that  blessed  world.  The  chief  danger  lies  in  so 
employing  and  interpreting  sensible  images  as  to 
bring  down  to  the  level  of  a  material  standard,  and 
to  our  feeble  capacities,  which  can  judge  only  from 
what  is  physical  and  imperfect,  the  spiritual  glories 
of  a  world,  in  which  no  sin  or  imperfection  can  dwell. 
If  we  would  form  right  views  of  heaven,  we  need  to 
have  our  minds  thoroughly  imbued  with  scriptural 
truth,  and  to  be  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  The 
theme  is  too  lofty,  too  holy  for  our  unassisted  thought. 
"With  the  Word  and  the  Spirit  of  God  for  our  guide, 
we  may  be  saved  from  falling  into  the  transports  of  a 
crude  fancy,  or  from  being  charmed  with  the  beauti- 
ful frost-work  of  an  unchastened  imagination. 

Evidently  guided  thus,  Augustine,  in  his  Medita- 
tions/' exclaims,  "  O  heavenly  Jerusalem !  our  com- 
mon mother,  the  holy  city  of  God,  thou  beautiful 
spouse  of  Christ,  my  soul  hath  loved  thee  exceedingly, 
and  all  my  faculties  are  ravished  with  thy  charms. 
*  Chapter  xxv. 


16  My    FATHER'S  House. 

O  what  graces,  what  glory,  what  noble  state  appear 
in  every  part  of  thee  !  Most  exquisite  is  thy  form, 
and  thou  alone  art  beauty,  without  blemish.  *  *  * 
O  how  happy  will  my  soul  perceive  itself,  when  it 
shall  be  admitted  to  see  thy  glory,  thy  beauty;  to 
view  the  gates,  the  walls,  the  streets,  the  stately  build- 
ings, the  splendour  of  thy  inhabitants,  and  the  trium- 
phant pomp  of  thy  King,  enthroned  in  the  midst  of 
thee !  for  thy  walls  are  of  precious  stones,  and  thy 
gates  of  pearl,  and  thy  streets  of  pure  gold,  continu- 
ally resounding  with  loud  Hallelujahs.  *  *  *  *  * 
No  successions  of  night  and  day;  no  intervals  of 
darkness ;  no  difference  of  seasons  in  their  several 
courses ;  nor  is  the  light  derived  from  artificial  helps, 
or  natural  luminaries,  the  same  as  ours ;  no  lamps,  or 
candles ;  no  shining  of  the  moon  or  stars,  but  God  of 
God,  Light  of  Light,  even  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
shines  in  thee,  and  the  white  immaculate  Lamb,  He 
it  is  that  enlightens  thee  with  the  full  lustre  of  His 
majesty  and  beauty.  *  *  There  are  the  melodious 
choirs  of  angels ;  there  the  sweet  fellowship  and  com- 
pany of  the  heavenly  inhabitants;  there  the  joyful 
pomp  of  all  those  triumphant  souls,  who,  from  their 
sore  trials  and  travails  through  this  vale  of  tears,  at 
last  return  victorious  to  their  native  country.  There 
the  goodly  fellowship  of  the  Prophets.  *  *  There 
the  twelve  Leaders  of  the  Christian  armies,  the  blessed 
Apostles  •  there  the   noble  armies  of  the  Martyrs ; 


Imperfect    Knowledge.  17 

there  the  convention  of  the  Confessors ;  there  the 
holy  men  and  women,  who  in  the  days  of  the  flesh 
were  mortified  to  the  pleasures  of  sin  and  the  world. 
*  "  *  "  *  *  And  O  how  happy  shall  I  be,  how 
exquisitely,  how  incessantly  happy,  if,  when  this 
body  crumbles  to  dust,  I  shall  be  entertained  with 
that  celestial  harmony,  and  hear  the  hymns  of  praise 
to  their  eternal  King  which  troops  of  angels  and  saints 
innumerable  are  ever  singing  in  full  concert."* 

"Think  of  Christ,"  exclaims  Richard  Baxter,  "as 
in  our  glorified  nature.  Think  of  glorified  saints  as 
men  made  perfect.  Suppose  thyself  a  companion 
with  John,  in  his  survey  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  and 
viewing  the  thrones,  the  majesty,  the  heavenly  hosts, 
the  shining  splendour  which  he  saw.  Suppose  thy 
self  his  fellow-traveller  into  the  celestial  kingdom, 
and  that  thou  hadst  seen  all  the  saints  in  their  white- 
robes,  with  palms  in  their  hands,  and  that  thou  hadst 
heard  those  songs  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb.  If  thou 
hadst  really  seen  and  heard  these  things,  in  what  a 
rapture  wouldst  thou  have  been  !  And  the  more 
seriously  thou  puttest  this  supposition  to  thyself,  the 
more  will  thy  meditation  elevate  thy  heart.     Do  not, 

*  Vid.,  "  Pious  Breathings,  being  the  Meditations  of  St.  Augustine," 
etc.,  made  English  by  George  Stanhope,  D.  D.  Fifth  Edition,  1720. 
we  not  here  the  original  of  that  favourite  hymn,  ''Jerusalem, 
my  Happy  Home,''  by  David  Dickson,  and  without  the  allusions  to 
the  Virgin,  the  Magdalene,  the  J\lagnijicat,  and  the  Te  dtum 
foisted  upon  it,  by  popish  versifiers  ? 


18  My    FATHER'S    House. 

like  the  Papists,  draw  tliem  in  pictures ;  but  get  the 
liveliest  picture  of  them  in  thy  mind  that  thou  pos- 
sibly canst,  by  contemplating  the  Scripture  account 
of  them,  till  thou  canst  say,  "Methinks  I  see  a 
glimpse  of  glory !  Methinks  I  hear  the  shouts  of  joy 
and  praise,  and  even  stand  by  Abraham,  and  David, 
and  Paul,  and  other  triumphant  souls !  Methinks  I 
even  see  the  Son  of  God  appearing  in  the  clouds,  and 
the  world  standing  at  his  bar  to  receive  their  doom, 
and  hear  him  say,  '  Come  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,' 
and  see  them  go  rejoicing  into  the  joy  of  their  Lord  ! 
My  very  dreams  of  these  things  have  sometimes 
greatly  affected  me ;  and  should  not  these  just  sup- 
positions much  more  affect  me  %  What  if  I  had  seen, 
with  Paul,  those  unutterable  things?'  Or,  with 
Stephen,  had  seen  heaven  opened,  and  Christ  sitting 
at  the  right  hand  of  God  ?  surely  that  one  sight  was 
worth  his  storm  of  stones.  "What  if  I  had  seen,  as 
Micaiah  did,  '  the  Lord  sitting  upon  His  throne  and 
all  the  host  of  heaven,  standing  on  His  right  hand  and 
on.  His  left  V  Such  things  did  these  men  of  God  see ; 
and  I  shall  shortly  see  far  more  than  ever  they  saw, 
till  they  were  loosed  from  the  flesh,  as  I  must  be."  * 

John  Howe  describes  the  blessedness  of  the  right- 
eous in  heaven,  thus: — "And  what  do  we  think  of 
the  ravishing  aspects  of  His  love,  when  it  shall  now 
be  open-faced,  and  have  laid  aside  its  veil !     When 

*  "  Saints'  Rest,"  Chap,  xv. 


1  M  P  E  K  V  E  C  T      liXO  W  I.  E  D  G  E  .  19 

His  amiable  smiles  shall  be  checkered  with  no  inter- 
vening cloud  !  when  the  full  sense  shall  be  unfolded 
to  the  life  of  that  description  of  the  Divine  nature, 
"God  is  love,"  and  the  soul  be  put  no  longer  to 
read  the  love  of  God  in  His  name,  shall  not  need 
to  spell  it  by  letters  and  syllables,  but  behold  it  in  His 
very  nature  itself.  This  day  hath  long  been  expected, 
and  lo  !  now  'tis  dawned  upon  the  awakening  soul. 
He  hath  now  traced  home  the  rivulets  to  their  foun- 
tain, the  beams  to  the  very  Sun  of  love.  He  hath 
got  the  prospect  at  last  into  that,  heart,  where  the 
great  thoughts  of  love  were  lodged  from  everlasting ; 
where  all  its  counsels  and  designs  were  formed.  He 
sees  what  made  God  become  a  man  ;  what  clothed  a 
Deity  with  human  flesh  ;  what  made  Eternity  become 
the  birth  of  Time ;  what  moved  the  heart  of  the  Son 
of  God  to  pitch  His  tabernacle  among  men,  and 
engaged  Him  to  the  enu  r]  irise  of  redeeming  sinners."* 
But  the  highest  flight  of  sanctified  imagination 
falls  far  short  of  the  glorious  reality.  There  is  a 
height  to  which  no  human  fancy  has  ever  soared,  and 
which  is  unknown  and  unexplored  except,  by  angelic 
and  beatified  spirits.  Eye  hath  not  seen  it ;  ear 
hath  not  heard  it;  nor  the  mind  of  man  conceived 
it.  ]S"ot  even  inspired  men  were  able  fully  to  com- 
prehend the  glory  of  that  world.  "It  doth  not  yet 
apfeab  what  we  shall  be."  God  revealed  many 
*  "  Blessedness  of  the  Righteous,"  Chap.  v. 


20  My    FATHER'S    II  u 

things  to  the  apostle  John,  and  inspired  him  to  write 
them,  for  the  instruction  and  edification  of  the 
Church.  He  was  the  author  of  the  gospel  that  hears 
his   name  ;    and  of   thi  arate    epistles,  and  of 

that  wonderful  book,  the  Apocalypse.  But.  although 
he  had  been  made  the  inspired  medium  of  such 
revelations,  there  were  some  things  of  which  he  was 
as  ignorant  as  uninspired  men.  Inspiration  was  not 
the  capacity  of  knowing  everything.  Nay,  this 
inspired  Apostle  possessed  that  degree  of  knowledge, 
which  rendered  him  truly  modest,  and  afraid  to  he 

above  what  had  been  revealed  to  him,  or  others. 
He  hesitated  not  to  acknowledge  that  he  did  not 
know  how  great,  or  how  happy  the  saints  in  glory 
were  to  he  made.  He  confessed  that  he  was  unable 
perfectly  to  understand,  even  from  so  great  a 
distinction,  as  the  sonship  of  believers,  what  they 
would  be  in  heaven. 

Who,  I  ask,  was  this  Apostle  who  was  afraid  to 
gay,  what  saints  would  he  in  heaven  ?  He  was  that 
"beloved  disciple,"  who  might  venture  to  propose  a 
question  to  the  Lord,  which  none  of  his  companions 
had  courage  to   ask.     He  leaned  upon  the  Saviour's 

n,  at  the  Last  Supper,  and  was  treated  with  an 
affectionate  tenderness;  well  suited  to  encourage  him 
to  propose  any  inquiri  additional  information, 

respecting  the  doctrines  of  his  Lord  and  Master. 
"When  Jesus  so  affectionately,  and  freely  conversed 


I  M  P  E  R  F  E  IJT     KXOWLEDGE,  21 

with  His  disciples  about  the  mansions  He  was  going 
to  prepare  for  them,  and  the  place  where  He  was 
soon  to  take  up  His  residence,  how  natural  it  would 
have  been  for  John  to  ascertain  all  that  might  pro- 
perly be  communicated  respecting  the  locality,  the 
inhabitants,  and  the  joys  of  those  mansions.  More- 
over, John  had  seen  angels,  on  the  morning  of  the 
resurrection  of  Christ.  He  was  with  his  Master,  on 
the  mount  of  Transfiguration,  and  there  saw  Moses 
and  Elijah  ;  he  saw  the  Saviour  transfigured,  His  face 
shining  as  the  sun,  and  His  raiment  white  as  the  light. 
But  he  who  had  seen  angels,  who  had  seen  saints 
refulgent  with  glory,  and  Christ  Himself,  wearing  an 
aspect  of  incomparable  splendour  and  majesty,  still 
professes  not  to  know  what  saints  will  be  in  Heaven  : 
and,  speaking  as  an  inspired  man,  he  of  course, 
teaches  that  this  knowledge  is  withheld  from  all 
other  men,  in  the  present  state. 

But,  further ;  it  was  this  same  Apostle,  who,  in 
Patmos,  had  a  vision  of  the  ]STew  Jerusalem.  He 
had  seen  a  door  opened  in  Heaven,  and  One  seated 
upon  a  throne,  and  round  about  the  throne  a  rainbow 
in  sight  like  unto  an  emerald.  He  had  seen  the  four- 
aud-twenty  elders  in  white  raiment,  with  crowns  of 
gold.  He  had  seen  the  seven  lamps  of  fire,  and 
the  sea  of  glass  before  the  throne,  like  unto  crystal. 
And  he  had  listened  to  the  voices  of  the  blest, 
saying,  "Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  glory, 


22  M  x    F  \  i'  II  E  R'S    Hodsb. 

and  honour,  and  power;  for  Tnor  Last  created  all 
things,  and  for  thy  pleasure  they  are  and  were 
created.''  His  description  of  that  New  Jerusalem, 
which  lie  saw  coming  down  from  God  our  of  Heaven, 
prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband,  has 
been  always  admired,  lie  portrays  its  grandeur, 
and  magnificence,  and  the  employment  and  joyeof 
its  inhabitants.  But  John  still  professes  not  to  know 
what  the  saints  shall  be  in  Heaven.  It  is  knowledge 
that  makes  men  modest ;  which  makes  them  sensible 
how  little  they  know.  It  is  ignorance  which  makes 
them  bold  and  presumptuous.  It  was  because  John 
knew  so  much,  that  he  was  willing  to  acknowledge 
he  knew  comparatively  so  little,  about  Heaven.  It 
were  well,  if  Christians  were  more  like  him,  in 
respect  to  all  those  subjects  about  which  God  has 
not  seen  fit  to  reveal  everything  that  might  possibly 
be  made  known.  If  the  Apostle  had  fully  under- 
stood the  power  of  an  endless  life,  in  developing  the 
spiritual  nature  of  man,  in  a  world  where  everything 
will  be  favourable  to  such  development ;  if  he  had 
known  in  what  the  resemblance  of  a  glorified  saint 
to  Christ  consists,  he  would  not  have  said,  '"It 
dotli  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be."  He  rested 
satisfied  with  the  knowledge  that  there  will  be  such 

mblance.     The  expectation  of  being  like  < 
was  enough,  for  him ;  it  ought  to  be   enough  for  us. 
The  words,  "  When  He  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like 


1  M  I1  I'.  K  !'  E  C  T     K  \  0  v.*  I,  E  D  G  E  .  23 

Him;  for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is,"  probably 
contain  the  best  account  of  Heaven,  as  to  its 
highest  perfection  and  chief  bliss,  of  which  our 
language  is  capable.  To  understand  the  sensible 
drapery,  with  which  the  Scriptures  sometimes  invest 
this  subject,  is  far  less  important  than  that  moral 
similitude  to  Christ,  in  which  we  are  taught,  that 
the  glory  and  blessedness  of  the  pious  dead  will 
consist. 

The  subject  has  not  been  selected  merely  because 
it  is  attractive  in  itself,  and  apj)eals  so  strongly  to 
the  principle  of  curiosity  in  man,  but  to  remind 
those  who  may  favour  these  pages  with  a  perusal, 
amidst  the  busy  cares,  the  alluring  pleasures,  and 
the  often  painful  trials  of  this  life,  that  there  is  a 
better  world  than  this.  The  author  will  endeavour 
to  bear  the  peculiar  reticence  of  the  Scriptures, 
in  regard  to  Heaven,  constantly  in  mind.  He 
will  study  not  to  forget  that  there  are  numerous 
doors,  at  which  human  curiosity  may  knock,  which 
God  has  not  opened ;  and  through  which  we  have 
no  right  to  attempt  to  force  an  entrance.  He 
will  study  to  avoid  unprofitable  speculations,  and 
to  give  to  all  he  may  have  to  offer  a  practical  and 
seasonable  direction.  He  will  seek,  by  establish- 
ing his  readers  in  the  sublime  verities  respecting 
the  immortality  of  the  soul  and  a  future  state, 
as   they   are   revealed  in  the   Christian  Scriptures, 


24  My    FAT  II  E  U  '  !    Hoi 

to  forestall  those  popular  delusions  and  errors  which 
are  afloat  respecting  the  spiritual  world,  and  to  for- 
tify them  against  "  the  sleight  of  men  and  cunning 
craftiness,  whereby  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive." 

The  definite  topic  to  which  he  pnxposes  to  call 
attention,  is  the  Heaven  of  the  Bible,  as  distinguished. 
from  those  of  false  religions,  and  the  carnal  hopes  and. 
unsanctified  imaginations  of  men,  and  from  all  those 
false  and  delusive  theories,  which,  from  time  to  time, 
gain  a  brief  ascendency  over  the  popular  mind.  It 
will  demand  a  holy  caution  and.  fear,  that  we  may  not 
prefer  curious  or  fanciful  speculations  to  that  sober 
truth  contained  in  the  Divine  Oracles.  May  that 
Saviour,  who  has  passed,  beyond  our  feeble  sense,  and. 
now  sits  enthroned,  amid,  the  Sapphire  blaze,  grant 
His  blessed  spirit,  and  enable  both  the  writer  and 
the  reader  to  say, 


"I  seek  not  fancy's  glittering  height, 

That  charmed  my  ardent  youth  ; 
But  in  Thy  light  would  see  the  light, 

And  learn  Thy  perfect  truth. 
The  gathering  clouds  of  sense  dispel, 

That  wrap  my  soul  around  ; 
In  heavenly  places  make  me  dwell 

While  treading  earthly  ground. 
Illume  this  shadowy  soul  of  mine, 

That  still  in  darkness  lies  ; 


Imperfect    Knowledge.  25 

0  let  the  light  in  darkness  shine, 

And  bid  the  day-star  rise ! 
Impart  the  faith  that  soars  on  high, 

Beyond  this  earthly  strife, 
That  holds  sweet  converse  with  the  sky 

And  lives  eternal  life."* 


*  J.  Taylor. 
2 


2G  My  FATHER'S  House. 


II. 

FALSE   VIEWS. 

EYERY  comparison  of  the  religion  of  the  Bible 
with  false  religions,  illustrates  its  superiority,  and 
contirms  its  exclusive  claims  to  a  Divine  original. 
We  cannot  open  the  sacred  books  of  Pagans,  without 
being  struck  with  the  unworthy  views  and  feeble 
conceits,  which  they  entertained  of  the  Divine  charac- 
ter and  government.  Their  views  of  the  creation, 
and  destiny  of  the  world,  and  the  race  which  inhabits 
it,  their  codes  of  morals,  all  betray  the  human  origin 
of  these  writings.  But,  when  we  open  the  inspired 
Yolume,  the  beauty,  the  elevation,  the  perfection 
which  characterize  its  revelations  of  God,  the  duty 
which  God  requires  of  man,  and  human  destiny, 
prove  its  Divine  authorship. 

On  the  subject  of  the  future  life,  we  have  in  the 
Bible,  in  contrast  with  the  uncertain  and  contra- 
dictory doctrines  of  heathen  poets,  philosophers,  and 
priests,  and  in  contrast  also  with  the  vagaries  of  men 
who  have  set  themselves  up  as  the  authorized  rues- 


F  a  l  s  i:    V  i  b  w  a .  27 

sengers  of  Heaven,  to  teach  independently  of  His 
written  word,  clear  and  definite  instruction  leading  us 
forward  where  we  are  fully  satisfied  the  mere  reason 
of  man  could  never  have  led ;  and  never  betraying, 
by  the  least  wildness  or  presumption,  that  we  are 
under  the  direction  of  a  blind  or  uncertain  guide. 
It  inspires  all  who  commit  themselves  to  its  guidance 
with  unshaken  confidence.  It  illuminates  the  Future. 
That  which  it  points  out  as  the  highest  glory  of  man, 
we  are  made  to  feel  is  the  only  destiny  worthy  of  his 
moral  and  intellectual  nature.  The  Heaven  of  the 
Bible  fitly  crowns  the  Divine  dispensations  towards 
man ;  it  is  the  perfection  of  his  being ;  it  is  worthy 
of  a  God. 

It  is  impossible  to  understand  our  indebtedness 
to  the  word  of  God,  on  this  or  any  other  subject, 
because  it  is  impossible  to  understand  what  our 
degree  of  ignorance  wordd  be,  if  we  had  never  pos- 
sessed it ;  or  what  theirs  is,  who  are  still  destitute  of 
it.  Could  we  shut  it  up,  and  ignore  its  teachings, 
we  might  discover  how  little  we  should  then 
know  in  respect  to  Heaven.  "We  may  gather  and 
collate  all  that  our  fellow-men,  guided  only  by  the 
light  of  nature,  or  such  traditionary  light  of  a  revela- 
tion as  may  remain  to  any  of  them,  have  taught  and 
believed,  and  appropriate  it  all,  or  all  that  we  choose 
to  select  from  the  heterogeneous  mass,  to  compensate 
for  our  discarded  Bibles,  and  it  will  only  serve  to 


28  My    FAT  II  EB  "s    B  oosk. 

make  our  darkness  like  that  which  was'  sent  as 
a  plague  upon  Egypt,  ."  a  horror  of  great  dark- 
ness." 

If  we  make  our  appeal  to  the  bards,  who  embodied 
the  popular  religious  belief  of  our  idolatrous  fore- 
fathers, we  learn  that  while  their  invisible  world 
was  seated  in  the  clouds,  it  was  peopled  with 
heroes  possessed  of  human  passions,  devoted  to 
the  same  pastimes  and  employments,  which  had 
occupied  them  while  on  earth.  With  glittering 
swords,  they  rode  on  steeds  won  in  battle,  and  had 
daily  encounters  with  their  enemies.  The  battle 
over,  thev  bathed  in  fountains  of  life-srivin^  water, 
and,  being  instantly  healed  of  their  wounds,  sat  down 
to  a  sumptuous  banquet,  and  passed  the  hours  of  the 
night  in  singing  war-songs,  and  drinking  from  the 
hollow  skulls  of  their  enemies.  The  Druids,  who 
were  the  supporters  of  a  superstition,  the  most  terrible 
ever  known  among,  men,  who  made  their  abode  in 
caves  and  the  trunks  of  decayed  trees,  sacrificing  hu-  ■ 
man  victims,  by  hundreds  together,  give  us  no  better 
answer,  when  we  would  know  what  awaits  the  spirits 
of  men  after  death.  Having  made  this  world  terrible, 
by  their  cruel  penalties,  sporting,  as  it  were,  with 
human  gore  and  bones,  they  sought  to  extend  their 
authority  into  the  next,  by  working  upon  the  fears  of 
their  timorous  votaries.  They  taught  the  doctrine  ot 
the  transmigration  of  souls ;  and  even  all  their  ideas 


False    Views.  29 

of  future  happiness,  so  far  as  we  can  now  learn,  were 
borrowed  from  this  eternal  migration. 

If  we  make  our  appeal  to  the  idolatrous  Aborigines 
of  this  country,  and  ask  them  what  are  their  highest 
hopes  of  happiness  beyond  the  grave,  all  that  we 
learn  is  that  they  expect  to  go  to  some  remote  part  of 
the  continent,  where  they  shall  be  restored  to  their 
hunting-grounds,  resume  the  much-loved  chase,  and 
be  engaged  in  the  daring  exploits,  and  wild  adven- 
tures of  the  forest.  "  They  say  there  is  a  great  King 
who  made  them,  who  dwells  in  a  glorious  country  to 
the  southward  of  them,  and  that  the  souls  of  the  good 
shall  go  thither  where  they  shall  live  again."  *  Ono 
of  England's  most  eminent  poets  has  clothed  the 
"  poor  Indian's  "  hope  in  its  most  attractive  light 
He  makes  him  "  see  God  in  clouds,"  and  "  hear  him 
in  the  wind,"  and  to  expect 

"  Beyond  the  cloud-topped  hill,  an  humbler  heaven  5 
Some  safer  world  in  depth  of  woods  embraced, 
Some  happier  Island  in  the  watery  waste  5 
Where  slaves  once  more  their  native  iaDds  behold, 
No  fiends  torment,  no  Christians  thirst  for  gold." 

If,  now,  we  turn,  and  ask  the  wisest  ancient  phi- 
losophers, what  prospects  of  future  happiness  they 
have  to  offer  to  pilgrims  in  this  vale  of  tears,  we  find 

*  Wm.  Penn  to  "  The  Free  Soc.  of  Traders  of  Pa." 


3Q  My    FATHER'S    House. 

that  many  of  them  were  in  fearful  doubt,  as  to  there 
beinc  any  future  existence  whatever.  We  find  that 
one  sect'"  utterly  denied  the  soul's  immortality,  and 
contended  that  it  was  material,  introduced  into  the 
system  by  respiration ;  that  it  grew  with  the  growth 
of  the  body,  and  was  nourished  by  material  food ; 
and  that  when  the  body  died,  it  also  ceased  to  exist. 
In  them  we  have  the  representatives  of  the  older  class 
of  modern  infidels,  a  class  of  infidels  among  whom 
David  Hume  stands  preeminent  for  ability  and  the 
boldness  of  his  speculations  and  skepticism.  That 
the  human  soul  is  nothing  and  there  is  no  hereafter, 
are  not  discoveries  which  modern  infidelity  can 
claim  the  honour  of  having  made.  It  has  only 
brought  to  the  surface  what  was  cast  up,  and  again 
submerged  many  ages  ago. 

We  find  that  in  the  most  ancient  schools  of  meta- 
physical science — those  of  India — the  doctrine  of  the 
immortality  of  the  human  soul  was  acknowledged 
only  in  this  imperfect  form,  that,  as  the  soul  of  man 
emanated  from  the  great  Soul  of  the  universe,  so  it 
will  be  re-absorbed  into  it  upon  the  death  of  the 
body  ;  thus  denying  that  it  has  any  distinct,  personal 
existence,  in  the  highest  state  of  happiness,  in  another 
world.  This  is  the  hypothesis  of  Hindooism,  one  of 
the  oldest  superstitions  in  the  world.  The  character 
of  its  multitudinous  divinities  is  sufficient  to  show 
*  The  Epicureans. 


F  alse  Views.  $\ 

how  poor  a  world  is  the  heaven  for  which  it  teaches 
its  votaries  to  sigh.  They  are  described  in  the  Yeda, 
as  possessing  limited  physical  and  mental  faculties  ; 
and  ,;  as  to  morality,  there  is  not  the  first  element  of 
truth,  modesty,  or  goodness  in  one  of  them  ;"*  they 
are  charged  with  intoxication,  licentiousness,  and 
almost  every  conceivable  vice  and  crime.  These 
sacred  books  teach  that  animals,  as  well  as  men,  have 
souls,  and  that  all  are  emanations  from  the  great 
Spirit  of  the  universe.  They  teach  the  doctrine  of 
metempsychosis,  that  is,  that,  as  all  living  creatures 
are  supposed  to  have  souls,  at  death  they  pass  into 
new  bodies ;  for  example,  the  soul  of  a  man  may 
pass  into  the  body  of  a  dog,  or  a  worm ;  or  the  soul 
of  a  dog  or  an  insect  may  become  that  of  a  man. 
The  soul  which  resides  in  a  human  body  is  in  a  state 
of  probation,  and  may,  by  bodily  mortifications,  and 
penances,  be  released  from  further  transmigration, 
and  at  death  ascend  to  the  highest  Heaven,  and 
finally  reach  the  highest  bliss,  by  being  re-absorbed 
into  the  Deity,  the  universal  Source  of  being.  The 
Hindoos  believe  in  four  degrees  of  future  happiness : 
first,  that  of  dwelling  in  the  heaven  of  the  inferior 
gods;  second,  that  of  becoming  an  inferior  god; 
third,  that  of  dwelling  among  the  superior  gods,  in 
the  highest  heaven ;  and  fourth,  re-absorption  in  the 

*  "  India  and  the  Hindoos,"  by  F.  D.  W.  Ward,  p.  275. 


32  My   FATHER'S   House. 

Spirit  of  the  supreme  Divinity.*  Their  books 
describe  Heaven  in  the  oriental  style,  as  full  of  gold, 
and  precious  stones,  cool  waters,  and  shady  bowers. 
"As  to  absorption,  the  highest  state  of  Hindoo 
felicity  ;  it  is  considered  as  the  only  state  which  secures 
the  soul  against  further  migrations  ;  because  the  soul 
then  ceases  to  have  a  separate  or  individual  existence. 
It  is  lost  in  the  universal  spirit  of  Brahm,  and  like 
him,  or  as  a  reunited  portion  of  him,  enjoys  eternal 
sleep,  without  ideas  or  consciousness."!  This  highest 
state  of  felicity  can  hardly  be  distinguished  from 
annihilation ;  it  practically  amounts  to  annihilation, 
because  it  represents  the  soul  not  only  as  inactive  and 
unconscious,  but  as  becoming  an  integral  portion  of 
the  spirit  of  their  supreme  Deity,  as  it  was  before  its 
emanation  or  existence  ;  whereby  it  loses  for  ever  its 
distinct,  personal  being. 

That  modification  of  Brahminism,  which  is  the 
religion  of  Burmah,  Siam,  Japan,  and  China,  instead 
of  a  quiescent,  universal,  divine  Spirit,  appears  to 
place  the  essence  of  Deity  in  nature  itself;  and  its 
disciples  are,  probably,  a  sort  of  pantheists.  But  they 
hold  the  doctrine  of  transmigration  of  souls,  and 
believe  in  a  succession  of  heavens  of  different  degrees 
of  glory,  where  reside  ranks  of  divinities  who  were 
once  men  on  earth,  whose  deification  is  a  reward  of 

*  Ward's  View,  Book  v.  chap.  3. 

t  Ruffher's  Fathers  of  the  Desert,  p.  3G. 


F  a  l  sb  Views.  33 

their  good  works  done  on  earth.  But  the  character 
and  employments  of  these  divinities  are  no  better 
than  those  of  the  Brahminical  theology.  The  highest 
felicity  in  the  future  world  to  which  the  disciples  of 
Boodhism  aspire,  is  to  be  absorbed  in  that  essence  of 
godhead  which  they  believe  resides  in  nature  itself, 
and  animates  and  governs  the  whole  universe. 

It  was  from  this  ancient  Indian  Philosophy,  that 
the  earliest  Greek  schools  derived  their  doctrines 
respecting  a  future  state.  So  close  is  the  similarity, 
that  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  Greek  Philosophers  * 
is  supposed  to  have  been  a  Hindoo  who  had  wandered 
into  Greece.  He  taught  that  every  being  emanated 
from  God,  and  would  finally  be  re-absorbed  in  Him, 
and  for  ever  lose  the  fruition  of  personal  existence. 
He  seemed  to  consider  the  body  as  a  kind  of  tomb  or 
prison  to  the  soul,  in  which  it  must,  by  purifications, 
seek  for  the  rewards  of  another  life.  The  philosophy 
of  Pythagoras,  who  undoubtedly  was  the  greatest 
light  of  Greece,  before  the  rise  of  Socrates  and  Plato, 
was  founded  on  the  same  principles.  He  taught  that 
there  is  an  infinite  supreme  divinity,  pervadi no- 
nature  as  its  soul ;  he  taught,  also,  the  transmigration 
of  souls,  that  men  after  death  are  exalted  for  their 
virtues  to  be  demi-gods ;  and,  although,  it  was  his 
doctrine  that  the  soul,  after  death,  has  for  a  certain 
period,  an  individual  existence,  sometimes  floating  in 
*  Orpheus. 
2* 


34  My    FATHER'S    Hoist:. 

a  cloudy  vehicle,  or  Bleeping  in  the  regions  of  the 

dead,  he  conceived  that,  at  length,  it  would  return  to 
the  eternal  source  whence  it  had  sprung,  and  for  ever 
lose  its  individual  existence.  And  here  again  we 
must  notice  the  striking  manner  in  which  extremes 
sometimes  meet.  The  most  modern  school  of 
skeptical  philosophers— such  men  as  Hegel,  Strauss, 
Cousin,  Carlyle,  Emerson  and  Parker — are  in  fact, 
aiming  to  revive  the  ancient  pantheism  of  India, 
while  they  are  recommending  it  as  the  latest  result  of 
human  experience,  as  some  new  discovery,  which 
shall  compose  all  strifes,  and  furnish  a  resting-place 
for  the  long-tossed  mind.  "  The  soul  of  man  is  divine, 
is  a  part  of  God."  Incense  is  offered  to  that  idol  that 
holds  the  chief  and  firmest  place  in  the  heart,  Pride : 
and  man  is  taught  instead  of  worshipping  God,  his 
Saviour,  to  worship  himself.  Individual  immor- 
tality is  lost ;  Life  is  a  dream ;  death  is  absorption. 
The  souls  of  men,  as  "parts  or  particles  of  God," 
return  to  their  source,  and  part  for  ever  with  their 
distinct,  individual  existence. 

About  four  hundred  years  before  Christ,  nearly 
contemporary  with  the  Jewish  prophet,  Malachi, 
whose  name  concludes  the  prophetic  roll  of  the  Old 
Testament,  there  appeared  at  Athens  the  gri 
philosopher  of  antiquity.  Having  sought  in  vain 
elsewhere,  let  us  make  our  application  to  him  for 
some  information  respecting  the  highest  destiny  for 


35  False  Views. 

which  man  can  hope,  in  that  mysterious  future, 
which  lies  before  him.  If  the  entire  pagan  world 
could  select  some  one  to  speak  for  them,  their  suffra- 
ges would  no  doubt  fall  upon  Socrates.  His  accom- 
plished, and  world-renowned  pupil,  Plato,  would  say, 
"Let him  speak  for  us."  The  Eoman  Cicero,  would 
say,  "  Let  him  speak  for  us."  The  whole  band  of 
modern  defenders  of  natural,  in  preference  to  revealed, 
religion  would  exhibit  characteristic  folly,  if  they  did 
not  respond  to  these  ancient  oracles  of  the  schools, 
and  say,  "  Let  him  speak  for  us."  There  was  in  him 
a  purity  of  life,  a  strength  of  belief,  and  a  simplicity 
and  clearness  of  views,  respecting  moral  truths  and 
the  future  life,  which  placed  him  far  in  advance  of 
his  ingenious  and  learned  countrymen.  He  appears 
to  have  held,  as  we  learn  from  the  writings  of  his 
desciples,  that  the  human  soul  is  allied  to  the  Divine 
Being,  not,  by  a  participation  of  essence,  but,  by  a 
similarity  of  nature  ;  and  that  good  men  will  be  con- 
tinued in  existence  after  death,  in  a  state  in  which 
they  will  be  rewarded  for  their  virtue.  "  If  what  I 
advance,  "  says  he,  "  upon  the  immortality  of  the  soul 
proves  true,  it  is  good  to  believe  it ;  and,  if  after  my 
death,  it  proves  false,  I  shall  still  have  drawn  from 
it,  in  this  life,  this  advantage — of  having  been  less 
sensible  here  of  the  evils  which  generally  attend 
humanity."  Again  he  is  reported  to  have  styled  it 
"  a  glorious  hazard,"  for  a  man  to  risk  his  belief  of 


36  My    FATHER'S    House. 

this  doctrine.  Before  he  drank  the  fatal  hemlock  he 
expressed  the  belief  that  death  would  introduce  him 
into  the  presence  of  the  gods,  and  into  the  society  of 
righteous  and  good  men.  "As  for  those/'  was  his 
language,  "  who  have  passed  through  life  with  pecu- 
liar sanctity  of  manners,  delivered  from  their  base 
earthly  abodes,  as  from  a  prison,  they  are  received  on 
high  in  a  pure  region,  which  they  inhabit ;  and  as 
philosophy  has  sufficiently  purified  them,  they  live 
without  bodies,  through  all  eternity,  in  a  series  of  joys 
and  delights,  which  it  is  not  easy  to  describe,  and 
which  the  shortness  of  my  time  (he  was  momentarily 
expecting  the  messenger  with  the  poisoned  cup)  will 
not  permit  me  to  explain  more  at  large."  And  is  this 
all — these  ardent  longings,  these  dubious  hopes,  these 
glorious  hazards,  these  presentiments  of  an  immor- 
tality in  which  the  body  is  to  have  no  share,  this  com- 
panionship with  deities  of  an  impure  mythology — is 
this  all,  thou  prince  of  philosophers,  oracle  of  the 
pagan  world,  whom  moderns  as  well  as  ancients, 
Christians  as  well  as  heathens,  unite  to  honour, 
which  thou  hast  to  offer,  in  respect  to  a  state  of  happi- 
ness and  perfection  after  death  ?  His  disciples  taught 
that  the  soul  is  a  compound  produced  by  an  emana- 
tion from  the  Dicty,  uniting  itself  with  some  portion 
of  the  soul  of  the  world,  as  they  termed  it,  and  some 
portion  of  matter.  They  endeavoured  to  prove  that 
this  compound  soul  had  a  pre-existent  being,  and  is 


F  a  i.  s  i:    V  i  E  ws.  37 

immortal  in  its  own  nature,  and  that,  as  it  existed 
in  a  separate  state  prior  to  its  union  with  the 
body,  it  will  probably  continue  to  exist  in  the  same 
manner  after  death.  They  taught  that  it  is  only  by 
the  enlightening  and  purifying  influence  of  philoso- 
phy that  the  immortal  mind  can  be  recovered  from  the 
defilement  of  its  present  state,  and  that  it  is  impos- 
sible for  those  whose  condition  and  habits  prevent 
them  from  spending  their  days  in  abstract  contem- 
plations— the  labouring  poor — to  attain  true  happiness 
in  the  future  state.  They  taught  that  those,  who, 
during  the  present  life,  purify  their  affections  and 
minds,  by  divine  contemplations,  are  exalted  after 
death  to  celestial  abodes,  and  a  bright  star  becomes 
their  happy  dwelling-place.  And  is  this  all  \  A 
material  soul,  or  rather  semi-material,  if  such  a  term 
may  be  applied  to  the  absurdity  ;  and  no  heaven  for 
the  labouring  poor;  a  mere  grove  of  Academus,  for 
the  reveries  of  philosophers,  transferred  from  earth 
to  a  bright  star,  in  the  visible  heavens. 

The  greatest  philosopher  of  Rome,"  after  stating, 
and  yielding  his  entire  assent  to,  the  views  of  Socrates 
and  Plato,  makes  some  advance  in  disclosing  what 
kind  of  heaven  he  supposed  existed  for  the  soul.  At 
death,  he  describes  the  soul  ascending  above  the 
region  of  the  clouds,  until  it  finds  a  place  which  is  its 
natural  seat,  where  it  becomes  fixed,  supported,  and 

*  Cicero,  Tuso  Quaest. 


38  My    FAT  II  ER'S    II  dose. 

nourished  in  the  same  manner  as  the  stars.  Here,  it 
is  free  from  bodily  passions  and  appetites,  and  is 
engaged  in  the  endless  pursuit  of  knowledge.  This 
was  all.  The  presence  of  a  holy  God,  and  resem- 
blance to  Him,  freedom  from  all  sin,  love,  and  praise, 
did  not  enter  into  the  elysium  of  the  Roman  sage. 
What  he  says  upon  the  entire  subject  reveals  the 
unsettled,  dissatisfied  state  of  his  mind. 

I  am  not  satisfied;  I  cannot  be  satisfied.  I  see 
nothing  but  a  tangled  web  of  contradictions.  There 
is  a  great  enigma  which  remains  unsolved.  I  see 
my  fellow  men  die, — my  parents,  my  children,  my 
neighbours.  One  extremity  of  the  grand  human  pro- 
cession, marching  across  this  earthly  stage,  disappears 
in  the  Cimmerian  darkness  of  the  sepulchre,  as  the 
other  emerges  into  light,  upon  it.  I  dwell  among 
graves.  "  I  hear  a  cry  of  anguish  !  it  is  the  moaning 
of  an  infant,  gasping  in  its  mother's  arms.  I  see  it, 
pale  and  quivering,  in  its  agony ;  I  hear  the  wail  of 
sorrow,  which  woman  alone  can  utter,  as  she  bows  to 
weep  over  those  she  has  borne.  Shall  the  dying 
ever  live  again?  What  answer  shall  I  give?  Shall 
they  live  again?  And  if  they  do,  will  that  life  be  a 
blessing  or  a  curse?"*  Oh  !  give  me  back  my  Bible. 
Give  me  back  the  Bible  ! 

But  there  have  been  men  who,  possessing  the 
Scriptures,  have  been  willing  to  modify  their  reve- 

*  Rev.  J.  F.  Berg. 


False  Views.  39 

lations  respecting  the  glorious  destiny  which  awaits 
the  righteous  beyond  the  grave,  or  to  exchange  them 
for  their  own  polluted  dreams.  Let  us,  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, that  we  may  learn  to  value  our  Bibles  aright, 
follow  their  presumptuous,  bewildered  steps.  More 
than  twelve  hundred  years  ago,  in  a  remote  country, 
known  as  the  land  of  spices  and  frankincense,  there 
appeared  a  remarkable  man,  a  descendant  of  Abra- 
ham, through  the  line  of  Ishmael.  He  professed  to 
be  a  reformer,  sent  to  restore  the  religion  of  "  Abra- 
ham, the  orthodox."  He  even  professed  to  believe 
the  revelation  that  had  been  given  by  Moses  and 
Jesus  Christ.  The  Koran,  the  great  book  of  his  faith, 
he  claimed,  contained  the  very  words  of  God ;  and 
God  is  represented  as  speaking  in  every  instance. 
Much  of  it  may  be  traced  to  the  Bible,  especially  to 
the  doctrines  and  precepts  of  the  New  Testament ; 
and  its  wild  and  beautiful  legends  respecting  angels, 
prophets,  patriarchs,  and  good  and  evil  genii,  to  the 
Talmud  and  Mishnu  of  the  Jews.  The  Moslem 
heaven,  as  described  in  the  Koran,  was  "debased 
by  the  sensualities  of  earth,  and  infinitely  below  the 
ineffable  purity  and  spiritual  blessedness  of  the 
heaven  promised  by  our  Saviour."*  When  the  true 
believer  has  passed  all  his  trials,  and  expiated  all  his 
sins,  he  refreshes  himself  at  the  Pool  of  the  Prophet. 
This  is  a  lake  of  fragrant  water,  a  month's  journey  in 
*  W.  Irviflg's  Mohammed  and  his  Successors,  p.  78. 


40  My  FATHER'S    House. 

circuit,  fed  by  a  river  which  flows  from  paradise. 
The  water  of  this  lake  is  sweet  as  honey,  cold  as 
snow,  and  clear  as  crystal ;  and  he  who  once  tastes  of 
it,  will  never  more  be  tormented  with  thirst.  After 
the  true  believer  has  drunk  of  this  water  of  life,  the 
gate  of  Paradise  is  opened  to  him,  by  the  angel 
Eushvan.  The  soil  of  the  garden  is  of  the  finest 
wheaten  flour,  fragrant  with  perfumes,  and  strewed 
with  pearls  and  hyacinths,  instead  of  sands  and  peb- 
bles. Some  of  the  streams  are  of  crystal  purity,  run- 
ning between  green  banks,  enamelled  with  flowers ; 
others  are  of  milk,  of  wine,  and  honey,  flowing  over 
beds  of  musk,  between  margins  of  camphire,  covered 
with  moss  and  saffron.  The  air  is  sweeter  than  the 
spicy  gales  of  Sabea,  and  cooled  by  sparkling  foun- 
tains. Here,  too,  is  the  wonderful  tree  of  life,  so 
large,  that  a  fleet  horse  would  need  a  hundred  years 
to  cross  its  shade.  The  boughs  are  laden  with  every 
variety  of  delicious  fruit,  and  bend  to  the  hand  of 
those  who  seek  to  gather.  The  inhabitants  of  this 
blissful  garden  are  clothed  in  raiment  sparkling  with 
jewels;  they  wear  crowns  of  gold,  enriched  with 
pearls  and  diamonds,  and  dwell  in  sumptuous  palaces, 
or  silken  pavilions,  reclining  on  voluptuous  couches. 
Here  every  believer  will  have  hundreds  of  attend- 
ants, bearing  dishes  and  goblets  of  gold,  to  serve  him 
with  every  variety  of  exquisite  viand  and  beverage. 
He  will  eat  without  satiety,  and  drink  without  inebri- 


False  Views.  41 

ation;  the  last  morsel,  and  the  last  drop  will  be 
equally  relished  with  the  first. 

The  air  will  resound  with  the  melodious  voice  of 
Izrafil,  and  the  songs  of  the  daughters  of  Paradise ; 
the  very  rustling  of  the  trees  will  produce  ravishing 
harmony,  while  myriads  of  bells,  hanging  among  the 
branches,  will  be  put  in  dulcet  motion,  by  airs  from 
the  throne  of  Allah.  Above  all,  the  faithful  will  be 
attended  by  Houris,  beings  of  resplendent  beauty, 
free  from  every  human  defect  or  frailty,  and  renew- 
ing their  youth  and  beauty,  for  ever.*  This  is  the 
paradise  which  ^lohammed  promised  to  the  meanest 
of  the  faithful.  The  great  body  of  his  followers 
construe  everything  in  a  literal  sense. 

Nearly  allied  to  the  paradise  of  the  Arabian 
impostor  is  the  heaven  peculiar  to  that  religious 
system  known  as  Swedenborgianism.  Its  author 
was  a  man  of  wonderful  genius  and  profound 
erudition.  In  respect  to  his  visions,  and  religious 
speculations,  it  is  a  charitable  opinion  that  his  power- 
ful intellect,  distinguished  as  it  was  by  a  most  inven- 
tive fancy,  and  lofty  imagination,  had  become 
disordered  by  his  habits  of  intense  study,  and  long- 
continued  meditation.  In  different  parts  of  his 
writings  he  tells  us  what  things  he  saw  in  the  other 
world,  and  records  the  conversations  he  had  with  the 
spirits  of  the  dead,  for  a  long  course  of  years.  In  a 
*  Irving's  Mohammed — Appendix. 


42  My   FATHER'S    House. 

word,  he  comes  before  the  -world  with  a  new  revela- 
tion, most  essentially  modifying  that  contained  in  the 
Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  lie 
describes  three  heavens,  and  three  classes  of  angels  ; — 
"  the  angels  of  the  supreme  heaven," — "  the  angels 
of  the  middle  heaven," — and  "  the  angels  of  the  ulti- 
mate or  lowest  heaven."  In  this  lowest  heaven  those 
Christians  dwell,  "  who  are  in  truths  of  a  general 
kind,  derived,  from  the  literal  sense  of  the  word,"  i.e. 
not  Swedenborgians.  His  doctrines,  respecting  a 
future  world,  are  in  many  respects  at  variance  with 
God's  Word.  He  holds  that  all  the  angels  in  heaven, 
as  well  as  all  the  devils  in  hell,  once  belonged  to  the 
human  race,  and  lived  in  this  world,  as  we  now  do. 
.Notwithstanding  the  words  of  Christ,  that  in  the 
future  world,  they  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in 
marriage,  he  maintains  that  marriage  and  conjugal 
love  in  heaven  will  embrace  all  joys,  and  all  delights, 
from  first  to  last.  "The  general  description  which 
Swedenborg  gives  of  the  employments  and  joys  of 
heaven  falls  immeasurably  short  of  what  we  find  in 
the  Scriptures.  He  seems  to  attach  but  little  impor- 
tance to  the  Scriptural  idea  that  the  spirits  of  just 
men  in  heaven  are  perfect  in  holiness  ;  that  they  are 
with  Christ  and  see  Him  face  to  face,  and  are  like 
Him;  that  they  inherit  glory,  honour,  and  immor- 
tality,— an  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory. 


False  Views.  43 

His  heaven,  as  lie  commonly  describes  it,  is  too 
earthly,"*  grovelling,  and  sensual.  It  is  inferior 
even  to  that  of  the  pagan,  Cicero,  who  looked  for  a 
heaven  in  which  he  would  be  raised  above  all 
corporeal  appetites  and  pleasures,-]-  and  where  the 
soul,  with  an  unquenchable  thirst  after  knowledge, 
would  successfully  pursue  it,  through  ages  that  have 
no  end.  The  view,  already  taken,  of  the  origin  of 
this  religious  system,  is  the  most  charitable  one  that 
can  be  suggested  ;  viz.,  that  his  mind  had  been 
thrown  into  an  abnormal  state,  by  some  disturbing 
cause.  "We  have  living  examples  of  the  same  mental 
state,  among  those  who  profess  to  be  his  disciples, 
or  who  unconsciously  have  adopted  many  of  his 
principles.  It  matters  little  whether  you  call  it 
a  dreaming,  Mesmeric,  or  deranged  state  ;  it  is 
an  unnatural,  unhealthy,  disordered  state  of  the 
faculties,  which  may  come  upon  any  man  who 
disregards  the  laws  of  hk  nature,  whether  physical, 
intellectual  or  moral.  "We  are,  indeed,  fearfully  and 
wonderfully  made. 

This  is  eminently  true  of  our  bodies  as  shown  by 
the  revelations  of  physiology ;  but  it  is  even  more 
so  of  our  intellectual  part.  "Who  knows  himself? 
"What  spiritual  anatomy  can  make  one   acquainted 

*  Dr.  Wood's  Lect.  p.  133. 

t  Profecto  beati  erimue,  cum,  corporibus  relictis,  et  cupiditatum 
et  aemulationum  erimus  expertes.    Etc. — Tusc.  Quaest. 


44  My    FATHER'S  House. 

with  his  interior  self?  But  we  may  learn  enough  to 
fill  us  with  fear.  The  mind  will  revenge  itself  for 
abuses.  If  men  are  determined  to  follow  what  they 
wish  to  be  true,  or  what  coincides  with  a  perverted 
inclination,  rather  than  what  they  might  easily  know 
is  both  true  and  right,  they  may  at  length  be  given 
up  to  believe  the  flattering  falsehood.  If  a  man 
attempt  to  feed  his  mind  with  error,  it  will  be  no 
surprising  thing,  if  it  should  evince  symptoms  of 
irregular  or  disordered  action.  And  so  long  as  the 
mind  is  connected  with  a  mortal  body,  such  action 
may  be  caused  by  the  diseased  condition  of  that 
body.  In  men  of  genius  and  sensibility,  the  imagi- 
nation is  sometimes  so  powerful  as  almost  to  absorb 
the  other  faculties ;  so  that  the  events  of  their  lives 
may  be  said  more  properly  to  have  passed  within, 
than  without  them.  This  may  have  been  the  case 
with  Swedenborg,  and  may  account  for  those 
subjective  states  of  bis  mind  which  he  transferred, 
with  all  its  ignorance  and  prejudices,  to  the  spiritual 
world.  "We  should,  then,  neither  experiment  our- 
selves, nor  permit  others  to  experiment,  where  we 
have  the  power  to  prevent  it,  upon  excitable  temper- 
aments, and  morbid  or  weak  nerves.  As  there  are 
some  physical  constitutions  to  which  an  intoxicating 
draught  is  a  maddening  potion,  so  there  are  minds 
which  may  easily  be  thrown  into  a  disordered  or  in- 
sane state,  by  strongly-excited  passion,  by  over-work, 


False    Views.  45 

by  physical  disease,  or  by  a  persistent  study  of  things 
which  border  on  the  mysterious  and  marvellous. 
"We  should  as  scrupulously  protect  the  mind  against 
the  one,  as  the  body  against  the  other.  We  have 
only  to  examine  the  revelations  of  Swedenborg  to 
satisfy  ourselves  that  his  mind,  by  some  disturbing- 
cause,  had  been  thrown  into  an  abnormal,  that  is  to 
say,  a  dreaming,  or  perhaps  insane  state.  Take  the 
following  "  Relation :" 

"  1.  When  they  are  dead  and  revive  as  to  their 
spirit,  which  commonly  happens  on  the  third  day 
after  the  heart  has  ceased  to  beat,  they  appear  to 
themselves  in  a  body  like  that  which  they  had  before 
in  the  world,  so  that  they  know  no  otherwise  than 
that  they  are  living  in  the  former  world  ;  yet  they  are 
not  in  a  material  body,  but  in  a  spiritual  body,  this 
appearing  to  their  senses,  which  are  also  spiritual,  as 
if  it  were  material,  although  it  is  not  so.  2.  After 
some  days  they  see  that  they  are  in  a  world  where 
there  are  various  societies  instituted,  which  world  is 
called  the  world  of  spirits,  and  is  intermediate 
between  heaven  and  hell.  All  the  societies,  which 
are  innumerable,  are  wonderfully  arranged  according 
to  natural  affections ;  the  societies  arranged  accord- 
ing; to  good-natured  affections  communicate  with 
heaven  ;  and  the  societies  arranged  according  to  evil 
affections,  communicate  with  hell.  3.  The  novitiate 
spirit  is  introduced  into  various  societies  both  good  and 


46  My. FATHER'S   House. 

evil,  and  examination  is  made  whether  lie  is  affected 
by  truths,  and  in  what  manner  ;  and  whether  and  in 
what  manner  he  is  affected  by  falses.  4.  If  he  is 
affected  by  truths,  he  is  withdrawn  from  evil  sociel  ies, 
and  introduced  into  good  societies,  and  also  into  various 
ones,  until  he  comes  into  a  society  corresponding  with 
his  own  natural  affection,  where  he  enjoys  the  good 
corresponding  to  that  affection  ;  and  this  until  he  has 
put  off  his  natural  affection,  and  has  put  on  a  spiri- 
tual affection,  and  then  he  is  elevated  into  heaven." 

He  then  proceeds  to  describe  the  wanderings  from 
one  evil  society  to  another,  and  at  length  the  ever- 
lasting confinement  in  caverns  or  workhouses,  of 
all  those  who  have  been  affected  by  "  falses,"  espe- 
cially those  "  who  have  confirmed  themselves  in 
doctrine  and  life,  in  faith  alone  unto  justification."* 
These  and  other  similar  "relations"  read  like  a  record 
of  distempered  visions  which  sometimes  haunt  the 
mind  of  a  deranged  man,  or  mono-maniac.  They 
are  strikingly  analogous  to  the  messages  which  some, 
in  our  day,  profess  to  bring  from  the  world  of  spirits, 
only  that  they  have  the  advantage  over  the  latter  of 
having  proceeded  from  a  man  of  greater  genius  and 
erudition,  than  has  yet  been  found  in  the  ranks  of 
our  "  spiritualists,"  so-called. 

Precisely  that  explanation  which  is  adapted  to  the 

Apocalypse  Revealed,  vol  1.,  §  153. 


False    Views.  47 

reveries  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg  is  applicable  to  all 
the  professed  revelations  connected  with  the  modern 
delusion.*  God  has  revealed  to  us  in  His  Word  the 
condition  of  departed  souls.  It  is  a  more  reliable 
testimony  (Luke  xvi.  31),  as  might  easily  be. shown, 
than  could  be  gathered  from  one  professing  to  have 
returned  from  the  invisible  world,  appearing  visibly 
to  us,  in  the  house,  or  by  the  way.  The  spirits  of 
the  righteous  dead  have  a  nobler  and  more  dignified 
employment  than  to  be  returning,  at  the  beck  of 
mortals,  to  this  world,  to  give  them  information,  or 
receive  information  from  them. 

"  "Who  are  these  that  darken  counsel  by  words 
without  knowledge?"  With  the  partially  extin- 
guished lamp  of  revelation,  giving  to  the  shadows  of 
the  night  only  a  more  bewildering  mockery,  they 
stumble,  they  wander  from  the  path,  and  perish. 
Yes ;  give  us  back  the  Bible — the  whole  Bible — the 

*  Compare  Judge  Edmonds's  account  (Christian  Spiritualist, 
November  4,  1854)  of  the  interview  he  says  he  had  with  the  spirits 
of  some  of  those  lost  in  the  Arctic,  with  the  ahove  extract 
from  the  "Apocalypse  Revealed."  The  Judge  is  only  another 
Swedenborg  with  less  learning,  less  consistency,  and  less  reverence. 
Swedenborg  represents  himself  as  trying  to  convince  Aristotle 
that  the  earth  is  round,  when  that  old  Greek  in  his  work  (De 
Coelo,  ii.  B.  xiv.  c.  8.)  had  by  the  same  arguments,  as  are  now 
employed,  proved  it  to  be  a  globe.  Edmonds  represents  himself  as 
conversing  with  the  spirit  of  John  F.  Lane,  the  hero  of  a  fictitious 
story. 


48  My    FATHER'S    House. 

uncorrupted  Word  of  God.  It  is  too  much  to  ask  us 
to  surrender  this  Book,  or  to  substitute  any  other  in 
the  place  of  it.  We  need  it  to  enlighten  our  way 
through  this  world.  Without  it,  not  a  single  star 
dawns  en  man's  sombre  pathway.  We  need  it  to 
enlighten  our  steps  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death.  The  light  of  that  city  beyond  the  grave,  shin- 
ing like  a  sun,  but  without  a  sun,  having  the  glory  of 
God,  like  the  Shekinah  which  rested  between  the 
golden  cherubim,  pierces  even  the  gloom  of  the  grave, 
and  falls  like  sunbeams,  through  the  rifted  cloud,  on 
this  side  the  Jordan.  Welcome,  thou  Book  of  God  ! 
Welcome,  light  of  heaven  !  Welcome,  divine  philo- 
sophy ! 

"  A  perpetual  feast  of  uectared  sweets, 
Where  no  crude  surfeit  reigns."  * 

There  are  several  points,  in  the  false  views  of 
heaven  now  presented,  in  striking  contrast  with  the 
heaven  of  the  Bible. 

1.  The  conscious  state  of  happiness  to  which  the 
most  enlightened  Pagan  nations  are  looking  beyond 
death,  is  represented  as  impure,  and  one  in  which  they 
have  no  security  against  a  return  to  the  earth,  to  trans- 
migrate through  the  bodies  of  insects,  animals,  and 
men.  How  absurd  to  look  for  happiness  in  a  world 
*  Milton. 


F  a.lse    Views.  49 

where  the  fires  of  the  worst  passions  and  lusts  burn 
and  rage  !  "What  better  than  a  pandemonium,  though 
called  heaven,  and  located  in  a  cloud,  or  the  brightest 
star  that  gems  the  evening  sky  !  But  even  in  this 
they  have  no  security  against  a  return  to  the  poverty, 
and  pain,  and  miseries  of  earth.  They  may  be  again 
cast  outj  to  wander  hundreds  of  years,  in  the  bodies 
of  swine,  of  dogs,  or  of  cattle,  until,  permitted  once 
more  to  enter  a  human  body,  they  have  another 
opportunity,  by  self-inflicted  tortures,  or  bodily  aus- 
terities, to  prepare  themselves  for  their  celestial  pan- 
demonium. How  unlike  the  "  rest"  which  remaineth 
for  the  people  of  God ;  in  which  by  His  power, 
through  the  perfect  mediation  of  Christ,  they  will  be 
confirmed  in  holiness  and  happiness,  for  ever  !  "  And 
God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes ;  and 
there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  cry- 
ing, neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain ;  for  the 
former  things  are  passed  away."  "  They  are  before 
the  throne  of  God,  and  serve  Him:,  day  and  night  in 
His  temple,"  and  "  shall  go  no  more  out."* 

2.  The  only  state  of  future  happiness,  known  to  the 
most  intelligent  heathen,  in  which  they  are  not 
exposed  to  apostasy,  and  a  return  to  all  the  miseries 
of  earth,  and  even  to  the  miseries  of  hell,  is  a  state 
of  unconsciousness  in  which,  without  ideas,  they  lose 
their  individual  existence,  and  are  as  if  they  had 

Rev.  iii.  12  ;  vii.  15  ;  xxi.  4. 
3 


50  My    FATHER'S    Hoi  be. 

never  been.  But,  in  the  heaven  to  which  Christians 
aspire,  the  soul  not  only  retains  its  personal  identity 
and  consciousness,  but  enters  on  a  state  of  higher 
knowledge,  and  of  endless  progress  in  knowledge, 
and  assimilation  to  the  Lord.  "  And  the  glory  which 
Tnou  gavest  me,  I  have  given  them;  that  they  may 
be  one,  even  as  we  are  one  ;  I  in  them,  and  Tnou  in 
me,  that  they  may  be  made  perfect  in  one ;  and  that 
the  world  may  know  that  Tnou  hast  sent  me,  and  hast 
loved  them,  as  Tnou  hast  loved  me.  Father,  I  will 
that  they  also  whom  Tnou  hast  given  me,  be  with  me 
where  I  am,  that  they  may  behold  my  glory." 
"  Now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly ;  but  then 
face  to  face :  now  I  know  in  part ;  but  then  I  shall 
know  even  as  also  I  am  known."  * 

3.  And  what  was  the  elysium  of  the  great  mass  of 
the  polished  nations  of  Greece  and  Rome,  as  embo- 
died by  their  poets,  of  the  Scandinavian  warrior,  and 
of  the  Aborigines  of  our  own  forests,  but  a  repro- 
duction, upon  another  theatre,  of  the  very  pursuits 
of  this  world?  In  bloody  battles,  or  in  light  and 
airy  sports,  or  in  sensual  and  inglorious  repose,  they 
found  the  very  archetypes  of  the  heaven  for  which 
they  longed.  They  looked  for  war-charriots,  for  wild 
adventures,  for  sumptuous  banquets  and  couches,  in 
that  spirit-land.  How  dark  were  our  prospects !  did 
not  our  religion  assure  us  of  something  better,  beyond 
*  1  Cor.  xiii.  12  ;  John  xvii.  22-24. 


False  Views.  51 

the  grave,  than  the  renewal — I  will  not  say  of  our 
present  pursuits,  strifes,  and  hostilities — but  even  of 
our  most  unadulterated  joys.  "There  remaineth, 
therefore,  a  rest  for  the  people  of  God."  "And  I 
heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying  unto  me,  Write, 
Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from 
henceforth ;  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest 
from  their  labours."  "Flesh  and  blood  cannot 
inherit  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  neither  doth  corruption 
inherit  incorruption."* 

4.  Even  the  heaven  to  which  the  philosophic  Plato 
looked  forward,  had  no  mansions  for  the  illiterate 
labouring  poor.  It  was  a  home  for  the  elite.  It  was 
an  abode  exclusively  for  men  of  study  and  mental 
abstraction,  who  had  recovered,  to  use  his  own  form 
of  expression,  some  portion  of  their  original,  intel- 
lectual visions  of  truth  and  beauty.  Alas !  for  the 
poor  of  this  world,  were  there  no  other  remedy  for 
the  woes  of  their  condition  than  the  "  divine  philo- 
sophy "  of  the  Grecian  sage  !  Blessed  be  God  !  we 
have  something  better  than  philosophy,  or  rather, 
a  philosophy  which  is  truly  "  divine."  We  have  the 
Gospel,  by  which  those  who  are  cast  down  may  be 
lifted  up — the  poor  made  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of 
eternal  life.  "And  to  you  who  are  troubled,  rest 
with  us,  when  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  be  revealed." 
"They  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any 
*  1  Cor.  xv.  50  ;  Rev.  xiv.  13  •  Heb.  iv.  9. 


52  Mv  FATHER'S    House. 

more ;  neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any 
heat.'** 

5.  Finally :  How  infinitely  does  the  heaven  of  the 
Bible  transcend  the  sensual  paradise  of  the  Arabian 
impostor,  and  that  of  the  Swedish  philosopher! 
"And  there  shall,  in  no  wise,  enter  into  it  any- 
thing that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever  worketh 
abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie."  "  For,  in  the  res- 
urrection, they  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in 
marriage,  but  are  as  the  angels  of  God."f 

'•'  Ob,  happy  country !  where 

There  entereth  not  a  sin  ; 
And  death,  who  keeps  its  portals  fair, 

May  never  once  come  in. 
No  grief  can  change  their  day  to  night ; 
The  darkness  of  that  land  is  light ; 
Sorrow  and  sighing  God  has  sent 
Far  thence  to  endless  banishment. 
And  never  more  may  one  dark  tear 

Bedim  their  burning  skies  ; 
For  every  one  they  shed  while  here 

In  fearful  agonies, 
Glitters  a  bright  and  dazzling  gem, 
In  their  immortal  diadem."  { 

*  Rev.  vii.  1G  ;  2  Thess.  i.  7.  f  Matt.  xxii.  30  ;  Rev.  xxl.  27. 

t  C.  Bowles. 


The    Glory    of   Heaven.  53 


III. 

THE  GLORY  OF  HEAVES. 

THE  caution  not  to  degrade  the  heaven  of  the  Bible, 
by  attempting  to  conceive  of  it  through  a  misap- 
plication or  mistaken  use  of  sensible  images,  or  by- 
crude  fancies  of  our  own  invention,  must  not  be 
interpreted  into  a  prohibition,  or  proscription  of  the 
subject.  The  hope  of  the  Christian  must  become 
a  feeble  thing,  if  he  has  not  some  clear  and  defi- 
nite idea  of  that  heaven  to  which  he  is  looking 
forward.  There  is  enough  revealed  to  give  direction, 
and  scope  to  our  thoughts  upon  this  subject.  But  it 
is  of  immense  practical  importance  to  have  scriptural 
views  as  to  the  nature  of  the  true  glory  of  heaven. 

Men  are  prone  to  cherish  the  hope  of  happiness, 
mere  happiness,  after  death,  while  they  do  not  con- 
sider their  want  of  the  only  qualification  which  could 
render  them  happy  in  heaven.  They  picture  to  their 
minds  some  place  replete  with  glories,  addressed 
merely  to  the  senses,  amidst  which  they  imagine 
they  could  pass  the  ages  of  eternity  happily  away. 
Their  notions  are  shadowy  and  vague,  originating  in 


54  My   FATHER'S   House. 

a  lively  fancy,  rather  than  in  scriptural  knowledge. 
It  is  even  possible  that  they  have  suffered  themselves 
to  he  misled  by  the  figurative  illustrations  of  the 
Word  of  God.  Heaven  is  no  more  than  a  vast  city, 
literally  filled  with,  palaces,  whose  streets  are  gold, 
and  whose  walls  and  gates  are  built  of  precious 
stones;  or  a  splendid  temple,  filled  with  every  object 
that  can  please  the  eye,  and  every  sound  to  charm 
the  ear.  There  are  others,  perhaps,  whose  concep- 
tions are  even  more  gross  and  earthly ;  for  which 
they  are  in  reality  more  indebted  to  the  Alcoran, 
than  to  the  Bible,  In  their  carnal  paradise,  they 
dream,  they  could  be  blessed,  and  forget  that,  with- 
out holiness,  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord. 

And  may  it  not  be  true  that  even  Christians  some- 
times imbibe  low  and  unworthy  views,  and  overlook 
the  chief  element  in  the  blessedness  of  the  righteous  ? 
May  they  not  be  so  fascinated  by  the  mere  drapery 
with  which  the  Scriptures  invest  this  subject,  as  to 
lose  sight  of  the  true  essence  of  "  the  glory  that  is  to 
be  revealed."  It  is  glory,  an  inconceivable,  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory.  Heaven-  is  all  Glory! 
And  the  "Word  of  God  gives  us  such  glimpses  of  it  as 
are  sufficient  to  guide,  and  give  all  necessary  scope 
to  our  meditations  in  respect  to  it.  What  then  is 
that  glory  1  What  may  we  now  learn  respecting  it  ? 
It  gave  a  lustre  brighter  than  the  noon-day  sun  to 
that  city,  which  John  saw  coming  down  from  God 


The    Glort    op    Heaves.  55 

out  of  heaven.  It  was  this  that  made  it  clear  as 
crystal,  and  resplendent  as  with  gold  and  precious 
stones.  It  illuminated  the  caves  of  Patmos,  and 
made  that  desert  island,  to  the  exile,  like  the  golden 
threshold  of  the  Xew  Jerusalem.     Hence  we  learn, 

That,  in  heaven,  the  glory  of  the  Lord  will  be 
peculiarly  displayed.  It  will  fill  the  place.  That 
divine  abode  will  need  no  sun,  neither  moon,  to  shine 
in  it ;  for  the  glory  of  God  will  lighten  it,  and  "  the 
Lamb  is  the  light  thereof."  The  import  of  this  lan- 
guage is,  that  God  will  make  a  peculiar  manifestation 
of  the  perfections  of  His  character  to  His  redeemed 
people;  He  will  display  His  truth,  His  justice,  and  His 
mercy,  in  the  system  of  providence,  and  the  glorious 
plan  of  salvation.  *  He  will  reveal  Himself  as  the  God 
of  holiness.  In  the  material  universe,  we  have  the 
most  sublime  demonstrations  of  His  might  and  domi- 
nion ;  but  heaven  will  be  the  theatre  where  God 
will  unveil  the  milder  features  of  His  character,  and 
exhibit,  before  adoring  multitudes,  its  spotless 
purity,  and  His  inconceivable  glory.  It  will  be  their 
blessedness,  and  the  theme  of  their  everlasting 
anthems,  that  they  are  permitted  to  have  a  near  and 
uninterceptcd  view  of  that  holy  Being,  who  cannot 
look  on  sin.  The  dazzling  splendours  that  surround 
the  eternal  throne,  proceed  from  the  immaculate 
perfections  of  Hem  who  fills  it.  He  will  for  ever  be 
the  great  centre  and  source  of  bliss  and  joy  to  the 


56  Mt    FATHER'S    House. 

innumerable  company  of  angels,  and  the  spirits  of  the 
just  made  perfect.  But,  how  would  this  be  possible, 
if  they  were  destitute  of  holiness,  or  the  love  of  it  ? 
Heaven,  pervaded  with  so  sacred  a  Presence,  would 
be  a  cheerless,  dreary  abode  to  an  unholy  being ;  he 
would  prefer  to  dwell  in  almost  any  other  section  of 
the  divine  empire.  God  would  be  to  him  a  consum- 
ing fire ;  His  presence  would  fill  him  with  remorse 
and  dismay.  The  absence  of  darkness,  pain,  disease, 
sorrow,  and  death,  could  make  no  heaven  for  an  im- 
mortal being,  destitute  of  the  love  and  fear  of  God. 
But  let  a  principle  of  holiness  be  implanted  in  the 
heart  of  man,  and  the  nearer  you  bring  him  towards  ' 
the  great  Fountain  of  truth  and  excellence,  the  greater 
will  be  his  bliss.  He  may  even  be  brought  to  regard 
death  as  a  happy  and  desirable  event,  as  it  will  bring 
him  near  to  God.  It  is  this  which  supports  him  in  that 
hour  of  trial,  when  heart  and  flesh  are  failing,  and 
the  curtain  is  about  to  be  withdrawn,  and  he  is  no 
longer  to  see  his  divine  Redeemer  through  a  glass 
darkly,  but  face  to  face.  "  As  for  me,"  exclaims  the 
Psalmist,  "  I  will  behold  thy  face  in  righteousness ;  I 
shall  be  satisfied,  when  I  awake,  with  thy  likeness." 

Secondly,  the  eternal  glory  of  the  inhabitants  of 
heaven  is  promoted  and  secured,  by  their  perfect 
subjection  to  the  will  of  God.  Every  precept  of 
His  law  has  their  acquiescence,  and  they  yield 
implicitly  to  all  the  obligations  which  divine  autho- 


The    Glory    of    Heaven.  5f 

rfty  imposes.     There,  there  are   no  conflicts  of  the 
flesh  with   the   spirit,  such  as  those  who  are  striv- 
ing to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  experience. 
Every  faculty  is  brought  into  sweet  and  holy  sub- 
jection to  the  divine  will  ;  every  impulse  of  the  soul 
is  in  complete    harmony   with  the   raptures  of  the 
seraph  who    stands  nearest  the  throne ;    and    every 
aspiration  is  after  higher  attainments  in  the  know- 
ledge of  God.     There,  affections  never  grow  cold  and 
languid  ;  but,  with  renewed  freshness  and  vigour,  are 
directed  towards    the    grand  Object  that  first   gave 
them  proper  exercise.     As    new  discoveries   in  the 
Divine  character,  government,  and  plans  are  revealed, 
— to  their  love  is  imparted  a  warmer  glow,  and  their 
adoring  lips  speak  out  new  ecstasies  of  joy.     In  the 
presence  of  their  ascended  and  glorious  High-Priest, 
faith  is  swallowed  up  in  sight  and  hope  in  fruition ; 
but  their  gratitude,  like  the  sweet  incense  of  a  sacri- 
ficial altar,  is  nourished,  by  an  inextinguishable  flame. 
They  cast  their  crowns  before  the  throne  of  God  and 
the  Lamb,  and  the  same  lowliness  of  mind  pervades 
the  bosoms  of  all-  who  are  numbered  in  the  bright 
retinue  that  fill  the  mansions  of  the  blest.     "The 
Lord  sitteth  upon  his  throne,  high  and  lifted  up,  and 
His  train    fills    the    temple.     Above    it    stand    the 
Seraphim :  each  one  hath  six  wings  ;  with  twain  he 
covered  his  face,  and  with  twain  he  covered  his  feet, 
and  with  twain  he  did  fly.     And  one  cried  to  another 

3* 


58  My  FATHER'S    House. 

and  said,  Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord  of  Hosts ;  the 
whole  earth  is  full  of  His  glory." 

The  society  of  the  just  in  heaven  is  never  dis- 
quieted by  the  strife  and  collision  of  parties.  The 
peace  of  that  world  is  never  marred.  There,  no 
tongue  of  slander  spreads  its  secret  poison;  no 
thoughtless,  disparaging  jest  awakens  resentment,  or 
calls  forth  the  secret  tear  ;  no  jealousy  and  suspicion 
ever  annoy ;  no  covetousness  harrows  the  mind,  or 
creates  distrust.  No  licentious  desire  sheds  its  bale- 
ful and  polluting  influence ;  no  revengeful  passions 
bring  mourning  and  distress;  but  every  will  bows, 
with  a  chastened  spirit  of  submission,  to  the  sway  of 
the  great  Jehovah. 

In  heaven,  God  is  worshipped  in  the  beauty  of 
perfect    holiness.     'No    irreverence,    no    wandering 
thought,  no  worldly  affections  or  desires,  come  in  to 
rob  the  soul  of  spiritual  peace  and  joy.     The  vast 
assembly,  swayed  as  by  a  common  impulse,  render 
their  heartfelt  homage ;  and  no  discordant  feelings,  no 
earth-born  emotions,  mar  their  spiritual  and  exalted 
services.     "  We  shall  then  have  enlightened  under- 
standings without  Scripture,  and  be  governed  with- 
out a  written  law ;  for  the  Lord  will  perfect  His  law 
in  our  hearts,  and  we  shall  lie  all  perfectly  taught  of 
God      We  shall  have  joy  which  we  drew  not  from 
the  promises,  nor  fetched  home  by  faith  and  hope." 
Neither  will  there  be  interruption  nor  end  to  the 


The    Glory    of    Heaven.  5Q 

perfect  service  and  blessedness  of  heaven.  Increas- 
ing knowledge  produces  a  continual  and  resistless 
flow  of  holy  affection.  The  Divine  glory,  the  won- 
ders of  creation,  providence,  and  grace,  are  unfolded, 
and  what  we  know  not  now  is  fully  disclosed  and 
clearly  discerned.  The  many  intricacies  of  the 
Divine  economy,  so  replete  with  perplexity  and  mis- 
giving to  our  present,  darkened  understandings,  are 
there  cleared  up,  and  made  to  reflect  the  wisdom, 
justice,  and  mercy  of  the  Deity.  The  mysterious  dis- 
pensations of  this  probationary  state  ;  the  fearful  and 
unexpected  judgments  which  have  filled  nations  with 
distress ;  calamities  which  have  shrouded  households 
in  mourning ;  events  which  have  seemed  to  threaten 
the  prosperity  of  Zion  ;  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous, 
the  premature  death,  the  infirm  health,  the  tottering 
reason  of  those  who  gave  promise  of  eminent  useful- 
ness, will  stand  in  light  clear  as  the  noon,  and  be 
realized  as  the  exhibitions  of  the  infinitely  wise  and 
unsearchable  counsels  of  Hm  who  worketh  all  in  all, 
and  reigneth  for  ever  and  ever.  "  There"  as  an  old 
writer  has  remarked,  "  all  knots  shall  be  untied,  all 
mysteries  unveiled  ;  the  just  connexion  of  the  least 
link  in  the  chain  of  Providence  will  be  easily  seen  in 
that  land  of  vision,  where  all  is  clear,  yet  all  amazing; 
and  the  unequal  reflections  made  here,  as  if  Divine 
Wisdom  were  careless  or  baffled,  will  be  turned  into 
admiring  acknowledgments  of  that  care  and  goodness, 


CO  Mr   FAT  HE  H  m*-. 

•which  run  through  all  the  windings  of  Providence. 
Triumphant  souls  shall  see,  admire,  and  celebrate 
that  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness,  in  the  very  things 
they  were  too  apt  to  complain  of  here,  and  shall  own 
how  necessary  they  were,  for  bringing  them  there?'' 

In  heaven,  the  works  of  God  will  be  understood. 
There  are  many  curious  parts  and  ordinances  of 
creation  which  still  remain  unexplored,  and  which, 
it  is  probable,  will  never  be  fully  understood,  until  we 
are  possessed  of  an  angel's  activity,  and  an  angel's 
intellect.  This  is  the  infancy  of  our  being ;  we  use 
the  language  of  children ;  Ave  have  their  understand- 
ings ;  but  when  we  become  men,  we  shall  put  away 
childish  things  ;  now  we  know  in  part ;  but  then  we 
shall  know  even  as  also  we  are  known.  The  disso- 
lution of  our  globe,  even  should  it  never  be  restored, 
would  leave  a  vast  number  of  the  works  of  God 
untouched,  and  unimpaired,  where,  as  in  a  bright 
mirror,  may  be  seen  the  reflection  of  the  attributes 
of  Him  who  made  them.  "What  variety !  "What 
magnitude  !  "What  extension !  Our  knowledge  will 
be  greatly  increased,  our  faculties  greatly  invigor- 
ated, and  our  intellectual  views  immensely  expanded. 
But,  most  of  all,  will  the  scheme  of  redemption  receive 
new  illustrations,  and  be  invested  with  a  luminous 
glory,  and  crowned  as  the  brightest  expression  of 
infinite  benevolence  in  the  celestial  world.  "When 
the  Lord's  redeemed  ones  shall  see  him  as  He  is,  and 


The    G  l  o  r  y    o  f    li  e  a  v  b  x  .  Q1 

behold  the  fruit  of  the  agony  of  His  soul  in  the  multi- 
tude of  the  saved,  which  no  man  can  number,  they 
will  regard  the  method  of  salvation,  by  Jesus  Christ, 
as  reflecting  the  richest  and  loveliest  glories  of  the 
Divine  nature.  They  will  perceive  that  the  work  of 
redemption  is  the  end  of  all  the  other  works  of  God ; 
that  all  His  works  of  providence,  all  the  revolutions 
in  the  world,  and  the  creation  of  the  world  itself, 
were  subservient  to  it.  They  will  then  understand 
that  "God  created  the  world  to  provide  a  spouse 
and  kingdom  for  his  Son  ;  and  the  setting  up  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  and  the  spiritual  union  of  the 
spouse  to  Hem,  are  what  the  whole  creation  laboured 
and  travailed  in  pain  to  bring  to  pass ;  and  that  this 
work  of  redemption  is  so  much  the  greatest  of  all  the 
works  of  God,  that  all  other  works  are  to  be  looked 
upon  as  parts  of  it,  or  appendages  to  it,  or  as  some 
way  reducible  to  it ;  and  that  all  the  decrees  of  God, 
some  way  or  other,  belong  to  that  eternal  covenant 
of  redemption  which  was  between  the  Father  and 
the  Son,  before  the  foundation  of  the  world."* 

Inasmuch,  then,  as  holy  beings  will  advance  in 
holiness  as  their  knowledge  of  God,  His  ways,  and 
works,  increases,  we  may  rest  assured  that  they  will 
never  grow  weary  of  doing  the  will  of  God.  New 
ages  will  find  them  entering  upon  it,  with  fresh 
activity,  fervour,  and  joy.  No  fatigue,  no  coldness, 
*  Edwards'  Works,  vol.  iii.,  p.  427. 


62  My    FATHER'S  House. 

no  reluctance,  will  render  the  worship  of  heaven  a 
weariness  to  the  saints ;  but  while  eternity  endures, 
they  will  cease  not,  day  and  night,  to  cry,  "  "Worthy 
is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and 
riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honour,  and 
glory,  and  blessing!" 

But,  further ;  the  saints  on  high  will  be  perfect  in 
love ;  and  their  obedience,  proceeding  from  the 
heart,  will  be  cordial  and  sincere.  In  this  world, 
piety  is  often  drooping  and  depressed ;  or,  if  active, 
still  inconstant  and  constrained.  The  merest  trifles 
are  sufficient  to  dampen  its  joys,  and  lead  to  a  relax- 
ation of  its  duties.  Let  but  a  momentary  cloud  come 
over  our  horizon,  and  doubt  and  dejection  fill  the 
soul- with  disquiet,  and  cause  it  to  mourn  like  the 
sparrow  on  the  house-top.  And,  alas !  how  often 
does  obedience  prove  a  yoke  of  bondage;  the  dis- 
ciple fulfills  his  obligations,  not  with  a  cheerful 
readiness,  but  with  the  spirit  of  a  slave  or  a  hireling. 
It  is  not  his  meat  and  drink,  to  do  the  will  of  his 
Father ;  he  imbibes  the  spirit  of  the  world,  is  be- 
trayed into  neglect  of  prayer,  and  duty  becomes  a 
forbidding,  repulsive  task.  ]STot  so  in  heaven.  Love 
warms  every  heart,  and  with  resistless  influences 
leads  to  joyful  acquiescence  in  the  will  of  God.  It 
banish.es  gloom  and  despondency ;  emancipates  the 
soul  from  the  thraldom  of  fear,  and  imparts  activity 
and  vigour   to    all   its  faculties,  for  enjoying,  and 


The    Glory    op    He ave x.  63 

glorifying  God.  It  dispels  every  shadow,  and.  ex- 
cludes every  lukewarm  and  inconstant  affection ; 
it  gives  warmth  to  desire,  spreads  a  hallowing  in- 
fluence over  the  soul,  and  links  it,  with  endurino- 
bonds,  to  the  throne  of  the  Eternal.  Love  is  the 
grand  principle  of  attraction,  binding  every  soul  to 
one  glorious  centre.  Nothing  can  counteract  it ; 
nothing  can  ever  disturb  it.  It  operates  by  a  gentle, 
but  sure  and  immutable  force.  God  is  obeyed,  and 
obeyed  cheerfully,  not  merely  because  He  is  a  right- 
ful Lawgiver  and  Governor,  not  merely  because  His 
injunctions  and  prohibitions  are  founded  in  everlast- 
ing truth  and  mercy,  but  because  He  is  loved. 

It  is  this  love  which  is  the  great  essential  element 
in  the  blessedness  of  heaven.  The  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect,  are  inexpressibly  happy  in  obeying  and 
serving  God,  because  He  is  the  object  of  their 
supreme  affection.  And  what  other  foundation  has 
this  love,  but  infinite  rectitude  ?  Rest  assured,  reader, 
whoever  thou  art,  rich  or  poor,  learned  or  unlearned, 
that  without  holiness  you  can  never  see  the  kingdom 
of  God.  You  may  picture  to  yourself  a  future  state 
of  carnal  repose,  and  sensual  gratification,  but  it  will 
prove  a  delusion.  The  mansions  which  the  Saviour 
has  gone  to  prepare  for  His  followers  are  mansions  of 
spotless  purity.  "  And  there  shall  in  no  wise  enter 
into  them  anything  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever 
worketh  abomination  or  maketh  a  lie."     In  the  pre- 


64  My    FATHER'S    Hod  SB. 

sence  of  God,  there  is,  indeed,  fullness  of  joy,  at  IIi8 
right  hand  there  are  pleasures  for  evermore;  but  they 
will  be  the  inheritance  of  those,  and  those  alone, 
who,  by  patient  continuance  in  well-doing,  seek  for 
glory,  honour,  and  immortality. 

Finally;  all  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  are  confirmed 
in  holiness,  for  ever,  and  thus  is  the  happiness  of  that 
world  unalterably  secured.  Could  sin  be  introduced 
there,  it  would  no  longer  remain  the  seat  of  supreme 
and  unmingled  blessedness.  Could  sin  invade  a  sin- 
gle bosom,  it  would  essentially  alter  the  character  of 
the  place.  But  the  unnumbered  host  of  heaven  in 
all  their  various  ranks,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest, 
are  pervaded  by  the  same  spirit  of  love  and  obedience 
to  God.  The  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and 
thousands  of  thousands,  who  occupy  the  seats  of 
heavenly  glory,  all  possess  the  same  elevated  and 
sacred  character.  A  "fullness  of  joy,"  "perpetual 
pleasures,"  render  them  undesirous  of  any  change. 
They  have  no  need  of  varieties  and  diversions. 
What  once  pleased  can  not  cease  1o  do  so.  Hence 
they  can  never  grow  weary  in  the  service  of  God. 
"  The  sun  will  sooner  grow  weary  of  shining  ;  the 
magnetic  needle  of  turning  to  its  wonted  point ; 
everything  will  sooner  grow  weary  of  its  centre  ;  and 
the  most  fundamental  laws  of  nature  be  sooner  anti- 
quated, and  made  void  for  ever.  Wisdom  guides 
and  fixes  the  eye  of  the  holy  soul,  and  determines  it 


The    Glory    of    Heave  n  .  05 

■upon  God."*  It  sees  Him  as  He  is,  and  becomes 
like  Him  ;  and  is  confirmed  by  the  fruition  of  God's 
presence  in  holiness  for  ever.  In  heaven,  no  grovel- 
ling influence,  no  unholy  passion,  no  temptation,  can 
gain  entrance,  to  mislead,  to  blight,  and  to  destroy. 

We  have  seen  that  the  foundation  of  the  blessed- 
ness of  the  saints  in  heaven  is  their  conformity  to 
the  will  of  God.  Transformed,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
to  be  the  children  of  light,  they  view,  with  joyful 
satisfaction,  the  bright  display  of  His  attributes  of 
holiness  and  goodness.  And,  in  this  world,  we  are 
to  enter  upon  the  cultivation  of  those  holy  disposi- 
tions, which  will  assimilate  us  to  the  inhabitants  of 
heaven,  and  thus  prepare  us  to  join  their  blissful 
society.  Be  assured,  I  repeat  it,  that  you  could 
never  be  happy  in  heaven,  without  such  preparation, 
even  if  it  were  possible  without  it,  to  be  admitted 
there.  Men  are  never  truly  happy  in  this  world, 
until  they  are  made  subjects  of  the  renewing  and 
sanctifying  grace  of  God.  They  may  have  a  show 
of  happiness,  but  it  consists  in  outward  appearance 
alone.  Multitudes  wear  the  exterior  of  gayety, 
while  the  heart  is  corroded,  with  anxious  care,  or  is 
the  seat  of  the  bitterest  grief  and  the  strife  of 
passion.  "Will  you  go  to  scenes  of  festivity  and 
mirth,  where,  to  the  noise  of  viols,  the  dancers  revel, 
to  find  the  happy  ?  Ah !  these  are  but  the  weak 
*  J.  Howe. 


60  My    FATHER'S    House. 

devices  of  the  wretched,  to  cheat  their  hearts,  for  a 
a  season,  into  forgetfalnesa  of  their  misery.  Will 
you  go  to  the  mansions  of  the  great  and  affluent  ? 
Alas !    robes  of  office  cannot  shield  the  bosom,  nor 

are  marble  walls  a  protection  against  misery.  Xo 
wealth  can  erect  above  the  most  lordly  roof  the 
gilded  point,  which  shall  turn  off  the  bolts  of 
affliction  from  the  heads  of  those  who  dwell  below. 
How  many  hearts  throb  with  anguish,  beneath 
purple  and  fine  linen !  How  many  are  sleepless  and 
miserable,  on  beds  of  down!  Sin,  unforsaken — 
unforgiven,  has  robbed  them  of  their  peace,  and  sets 
at  defiance  the  most  artful  and  costly  appliances  to 
render  them  happy.  They  may  woo  Peace ;  but 
Peace,  heavenly  guest,  cpaickly  follows  her  mate,  and 
flies  far  from  the  heart  which  Innocence  has  deserted. 
Xay,  to  whatever  portion  of  the  habitable  universe 
they  may  betake  themselves,  a  heart  unreconciled  to 
God  would  rob  them  of  all  settled  peace.  If  they 
could  leave  this  planet  of  ours,  and  with  the  wings 
of  the  morning,  fly  to  some  fairy  region,  some  beau- 
tiful world,  beautiful  as  the  most  gorgeous  imagina- 
tion can  picture,  richly  furnished  with  all  that  could 
delight  flesh  and  sense,  where  the  ear  would  be 
soothed  with  the  most  enchanting  melody,  and  the 
taste  regaled  with  the  most  delicious  viands,  to  dwell 
in  splendid  mansions,  attended  by  companions  of 
congenial  tastes  and  dispositions,  caressed  and  served 


Thk    (tLorv    op   Heaven.  (J7 

by  a  retinue  of  dependents,  without  any  interruption 
from  the  example  or  reproof  of  good  men,  they 
might  think  they  'would  certainly  be  happy.  But 
how  soon  would  they  learn,  that,  with  a  sinful  heart, 
even  in  this  paradise  of  their  own  creation  and 
selection,  misery  would  still  haunt  their  steps.  The 
truth  is,  that  no  change  of  scene,  in  the  universe  of 
God,  is  of  itself  sufficient  to  yield  happiness  to  those 
who  cherish  the  enemies  of  their  peace  in  their  own 
hearts.  Heaven  is  a  place  of  blessedness,  because 
it  is  pure  ;  and  the  redeemed  are  happy  there  just 
because  thev  hn\^  1ip«"  - 


63  My    FATHER'S    House, 


IY. 

THE    PLACE. 

HEAYEN  is  sometimes  called  Everlasting  Life, 
Eternal  Life.  Is  it  then  to  be  conceived  of  as  a 
mere  state,  and  not  as  a  defined  place  of  residence 
and  action  ?  That  heaven  has  locality  the  Scrip- 
tures, particularly  in  the  great  doctrine  that  the 
self-same  bodies,  which  are  laid  in  the  grave,  shall 
be  raised  up  by  the  power  of  Christ,  do  not  leave  us 
to  doubt. 

That  heaven  is  not  merely  a  state  of  being,  but  a 
place,  is  most  clear  from  the  translation  of  Enoch. 
He  did  not  "  see  death  and  was  not  found,  because 
God  had  translated  him."*  It  is  said  in  Go: 
"  God  took  him."f  He  was  removed,  in  body  and 
soul,  to  another  dwelling-place  to  be  with  God.  We 
have  a  similar  proof  in  the  translation  of  Elijah,  who 
was  carried  bodily,  "  by  a  whirlwind  into  heaven."^: 

*  Heb.  xi.  5.        f  v.  24        J  2  Kings,  ii.  11. 


T  he  Place.  69 

The  prophet  Elisha  saw  him  ascend.  Nearly  a 
thousand  years  after  his  translation,  he  was  seen 
again  in  this  world  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration, 
in  the  same  body  in  which  he  "  went  up."  There 
must  be  some  place  where  the  bodies  of  these  trans- 
lated saints  are  residing.     That  place  is  heaven. 

The  ascension  into  heaven  of  Christ,  in  our  nature, 
proves  the  same  thing.  He  had  shown  himself  to 
His  disciples,  after  His  resurrection,  and  given  them 
ample  opportunity  to  examine  His  body,  and  satisfy 
themselves  that  it  was  the  very  same  which  hung 
upon  the  Cross.  He  had  told  them  that  He  should 
ascend  to  that  Father  who  had  sent  Hbi  ;  that  He 
should  return  to  that  heaven  from  which  He  came 
down.  And  in  their  presence,  while  they  were 
beholding  Hnr,  He  returned  to  the  world  of  glory. 
He  did  not  leave  His  human  body,  but  bore  it  with 
Hesi.  The  heavens  received  Him  out  of  their  sight ; 
and  to  His  disciples  was  given  the  assurance  that,  in 
due  time,  the  same  heavens  would  reveal  HrM  again. 
In  His  glorified  human  nature  He  departed  for  a 
place  which  is  beyond  the  ken  of  mortals.  That 
place  is  heaven. 

The  martyr  Stephen,  just  before  his  death,  saw 
heaven  opened,  the  glory  of  God,  and  Jesus  standing 
on  the  right  hand  of  God.*  This  was  not  a  mere 
illusion  of  the  mind,  but  an  actual  vision,  granted 

*  Acts  vii.  55,  56. 


70  My    FATHER'S  House. 

to  liim  that  his  faith  might  not  fail  in  that  trying 
moment.  Paul  also  had  a  vision  of  heaven,  "  the 
third  heaven."  He  calls  it  the  third,  in  allusion  to 
the  distinction  which  the  Jews  made  on  this  subject. 
The  first  was  the  atmosphere,  or  the  aerial  heaven ; 
the  second,  the  region  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  the 
sun,  moon  and  stars ;  and  the  third,  the  heaven 
where  God  reigns  in  glory,  and  will  crown  His 
people  with  eternal  felicity.  Of  this  place  Paul  had 
a  vision,  and  heard  "  unspeakable  words  which  it  is 
not  lawful  for  men  to  utter."*  The  grand  scene  of 
the  visions  of  the  apostle  John,  in  Patmos,  was  laid 
in  heaven.  He  saw  the  throne  of  God  surrounded 
by  a  bright  retinue  of  ministering  spirits,  and  the 
glory  and  order  of  the  heavenly  world.  He  beheld 
the  place  where  departed,  happy  spirits  take  up 
their  everlasting  abode.  Such  representations  of 
the  "Word  of  God  are  suited  to  impress  a  mind,  not 
given  to  the  refinement,  that  the  soul,  after  death,  is 
for  ever  separated  from  matter,  from  time,  and  from 
space,  that  heaven  must  have  locality. 

Put,  as  already  intimated,  the  Scripture  doctrine 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  bodies  of  the  redeemed 
necessarily  involves  that  of  the  locality  of  heaven. 
The  heaven  into  which  Christ  entered  with  His 
glorified  body — into  which  Enoch  and  Elijah  entered 
with  their  original  bodies,  changed  and  glorified,  it 
*  2  Cor.  xiii.  2-i. 


The   Place.  71 

is  true,  but  still  substantially  the  same,  and  into 
which,  at  the  last  day,  all  the  saints  shall  be 
admitted,  clothed  with  a  body  like  unto  Christ's, 
must  be  an  external,  tangible  abode — as  tangible,  to 
say  the  least,  as  the  bodies  which  are  to  inhabit  it. 

But  where  is  this  glorious  place  ?  Our  Lord 
endeavoured  to  comfort  His  disciples  with  the  assur- 
ance that  He  was  going  to  prepare  it  for  them,  and 
that  He  would  come  again  and  receive  them  to  Him- 
self. But  did  He  tell  them  where,  or  in  what  part  of 
the  universe,  heaven  is  located  ?  Dr.  Chalmers, 
in  a  well-known  discourse  upon  the  words,  "  Never- 
theless, we  according  to  His  promise,  look  for  new 
heavens,  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteous- 
ness,"* suggests  that  by  the  convulsions  of  the  last 
day  this  world  may  be  shaken,  and  broken  down 
from  its  present  arrangements,  and  the  whole  of  its 
existing  frame-work  fall  to  pieces,  and  by  a  heat  so 
fervent  as  to  melt  its  most  solid  elements ;  and  that 
out  of  the  ruin  of  this  second  chaos  other  heavens 
and  another  earth  may  be  made  to  arise  ;  and  a  new 
materialism,  with  other  aspects  of  magnificence  and 
beauty,  emerge  from  the  Wreck  of  this  mighty  trans- 
formation ;  that  in  the  place  of  eternal  blessedness 
there  will  be  ground  to  walk  upon — scenes  of  luxu- 
riance to  delight  the  corporeal  senses — and  the  kindly 
intercourse  of  friends,  talking  familiarly,  and  by 
*  2  Pet.  iii.  13. 


72  Mr   FATHER'S   Hocse. 

articulate  converse  together.  But  he  very  carefully 
avoids  expressing  the  belief  or  intimation  that  the 
limits  of  the  new  earth  are  to  constitute  the  fixed 
boundary  of  heaven,  the  inheritance  of  the  saints. 

Others,  however,  have  contended  that  the  place 
■which  our  Lord  promised  to  prepare  for  His  followers 
will  be  this  planet  of  ours,  in  a  restored  or  perfected 
condition,  as  one  of  the  many  mansions  ;*  and  that 
this  preparation  will  not  be  made  till  after  the  resur- 
rection of  men,  at  the  second  coming  of  Christ.  The 
words,  "  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions,"f 
etc.,  unquestionably  refer  to  heaven.  But  when  our 
Lord  says,  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you,"  it  is  not 
necessary  to  suppose  that  He  had  reference  to  some 
particular  planet  or  star,  which  then  remained  to  be 
beautified,  and  otherwise  prepared  for  their  reception, 
and  to  which  they  were  to  be  confined.  Heaven  or 
the  "  Father's  House,"  may,  on  the  contrary,  be  as 
extensive  as  the  sidereal  heavens,  or  as  the  entire 
created  universe,  with  the  exception  of  that  region 
denominated  the  "  outer  darkness,"  into  which  repro- 
bate angels  and  men  will  be  cast.  The  Saviour,  by 
His  going  to  prepare  a  place,  meant  that  He  must 
appear  in  Heaven  as  our  great  High  Priest  and 
interceding  Lord.  It  is  His  intercessory  work,  as  the 
Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  which 

*  Vid.  "  The  Many  Mansions,"  &c,  by  the  late  G.  S.  Faber,  B.D. 
t  John  xiv.  2.  3. 


The   Place.  73 

prepares  heaven  for  His  people.  When  they  die,  He 
comes  again  and  receives  them  to  Himself.  Absent 
from  the  body  they  are  present  with  their  Lord,  in 
His  Father's  house — their  bliss  to  have  its  perfect  con- 
summation at  the  resurrection  of  their  bodies.  Into 
the  very  heaven,  where  Christ  is  gone,  they  are 
admitted ;  they  have  a  place  in  its  many  mansions. 
Can  we  believe  that  the  promise  to  Peter,  and  James, 
and  John,  and  their  companions,  "  I  am  to  come 
back  and  receive  you  to  myself,"  has  not  yet  been 
fulfilled  ?  that  heaven  has  not  yet  been  prepared  for 
them,  nor  for  the  translated  Enoch  and  Elijah;  for 
David  and  Isaiah?  that  the  dying  Stephen  saw  the 
gates  of  heaven  open  only  to  delude  his  faith  and 
mock  his  hope,  and  that  the  Lord  Jesus  has  not  }ret 
received  his  spirit  into  that  blessed  world  ?  or  that 
Paul,  after  an  absence  of  eighteen  hundred  years 
from  his  body,  is  still  absent  from  his  Lord  ?  Impos- 
sible. Christ  is  present  at  the  death  of  every 
believer,  and  may,  therefore,  be  said  to  come  back,  to 
receive  his  departing  spirit.  The  soul  goes  forth  to 
Hrsr,  into  the  many  mansions  of  His  Father's  house. 
Science  teaches  us, — to  adopt  with  some  modification, 
the  language  of  Sir  D.  Brewster — the  history  of  our 
earth,  its  form,  and  size,  and  motions ;  it  surveys  the 
Solar  System,  measures  its  planets,  and  pronounces 
the  earth  to  be  but  a  tiny  sphere,  and  to  have  no 
place  of  distinctions  among  its  gigantic   compeers. 

4- 


74  My  FATHER'S   House. 

The  telescope  establishes  new  systems  of  worlds,  far 
"beyond  the  boundaries  of  our  own,  and  inspires  the 
Christian  with  an  interest  in  worlds  and  systems  of 
worlds — in  life  without  limits,  as  well  as  in  life  with- 
out end.  On  angels'  wings,  he  soars  to  the  zenith, 
and  speeds  his  way  to  the  horizon  of  space,  without 
reaching  its  ever-retiring  bourne  ;  and  in  the  infinity 
of  worlds,  and  amid  the  infinity  of  life,  he  descries 
the  home,  and  the  companions  of  the  future.* 

But  even  were  we  to  admit  that  Christ's  coming, 
in  the  passage  in  question,  must  be  his  second  com- 
ing, at  the  end  of  the  world,  it  is  impossible  to  make 
it  appear  that  the  place  which  He  promised  to  pre- 
pare for  His  people  is  this  earth,  however  changed 
by  the  last  conflagration,  and  renewed  by  divine 
power.  Our  Lord  assured  His  disciples  that  He  was 
going  away  to  prepare  a  place  for  them,  and  then 
(that  is,  the  place  being  prepared)  He  would  come 
back,  to  receive  them  to  Himself.  "With  this,  His 
own  declaration,  even  understanding  Him  to  refer  to 
His  second  advent,  the  theory  that  this  earth  is  to 
be  made  ready  for  the  eternal  residence  and  only 
heaven  of  the  saints,  after  His  appearance  in  the 
clouds,  to  raise  the  dead,  and  judge  the  righteous 
and  the  wicked,  is  in  diametrical  opposition.  Christ 
declares  that  He  was  g"ing  away  to  prepare  a  place 
for  His  follower?,  and  then  would  return  to  receive 
*  More  Worlds  than  One.  pp.  17,  lb. 


The  Place.  75 

them;  the  theory  asserts  that  Christ  is  to  return 
before  that  place  is  prepared,  or  that  it  is  not  to 
be  prepared  until  after  the  resurrection,  and  the  day 
of  judgment. 

In  the  third  chapter  of  the  second  epistle  of  Peter, 
there  also  occur  expressions  which  have  been  much 
relied  upon,  to  establish  the  doctrine  that  this  earth 
of  ours,  after  renewal,  is  to  be  the  seat  of  heaven,  for 
the  redeemed  of  our  race.  They  are  such  as  these : 
"But  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  which  are  now,  by 
the  same  word,  are  kept  in  store,  reserved  unto  fire 
against  the  clay  of  judgment  and  perdition  of  ungodly 
men."  "The  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in 
the  night ;  in  the  which,  the  heavens  shall  pass  away 
with  a  great  noise,  and  the  elements  shall  melt  with 
fervent  heat ;  the  earth  also,  and  the  works  that  are 
therein  shall  be  burned  up."  "  Nevertheless,  we, 
according  to  his  promise,  look  for  new  heavens  and 
a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness."" 

But,  admitting  that  these  words  are  to  be  consid- 
ered as  literal  throughout,  does  it  follow  that  this 
earth  is  to  be  the  seat,  the  exclusive  seat,  of  the 
everlasting  residence  of  the  saints?  Indeed,  we  feel 
much  inclined  to  the  literal  interpretation  of  the 
passage ;  i.  e.  that  it  teaches  that  the  present  earth, 
after  its  predicted  destruction,  will  come  forth 
renewed ;  and  yet,  we  cannot  hold  that  any  such 
*  2  Peter  iii.  7,  10, 13. 


76  My   FATHER'S  House. 

pre-eminence  is  to  be  assigned  to  it,  as  that  it 
shall  become  the  exclusive  seat,  or  boundary,  of 
the  future  heaven  of  the  saints.  It  appears  to  be 
clearly  the  teaching  of  the  Apostle,  that  our  material 
globe  is  to  be,  at  length,  overwhelmed  with  a  fiery 
deluge, — that  the  watery  deluge,  in  the  days  of 
Noah,  wras  both  a  figure  and  a  pattern  of  that  by 
lire,  which  awaits  it,  in  "the  day  of  the  Lord." 
He  expressly  says,"  that  as  the  former  world  was 
overflowed  with  water,  and  perished,  so  the  present 
heavens  and  earth  "  are  kept  in  store,  reserved  unto 
fire,  against  the  day  of  judgment  and  perdition  of 
ungodly  men,"  that  in  "  the  day  of  God,  the  heaven, 
being  on  fire,  shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  elements 
shall  melt  with  fervent  heat."  "The  Lord  Jesus," 
says  the  apostle  Paul,  "  shall  be  revealed  from 
heaven,  with  His  mighty  angels,  in  flaming  fire, 
taking  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God,  and 
that  obey  not  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."f 
In  accordance  with  this  teaching  of  the  Bible  that 
a  destruction,  by  fire,  is  to  be  the  doom  of  our  earth, 
God  has  already  given  us  some  signs  from  above. 
"  "We  see  in  the  heavens  themselves  some  traces  of 
destructive  elements,  and  some  indications  of  their 
power.  The  fragments  of  broken  planets  —  the 
descent  of  meteoric  stones  upon  our  globe — the 
wheeling  comets,  welding  their  loose  materials  to  the 
*  2  Peter,  iii.  6,  7,  12.  t  2  Thess.  i.  7,  8. 


The  Place.  77 

solar  surface — the  volcanic  eruptions  on  our  own 
satellite — the  disappearance  of  stars,  are  all  fore- 
shadows of  that  impending  convulsion,  to  which  the 
system  of  the  world  is  doomed."  The  awful  text, 
"the  earth  and  the  works  that  are  therein  shall  be 
burned  up,"  is  written  visibly  upon  the  heavens  over 
our  heads.  It  is  an  extraordinary  fact  which  Astro- 
nomy reveals,  that  several  stars,  in  different  constel- 
lations, seem  to  have  totally  disappeared.  In  the 
year  1572,  a  star  in  one  of  the  constellations,  was 
observed,  all  at  once,  to  become  so  brilliant  that  it 
surpassed  the  splendour  of  the  brightest  planets,  and 
might  be  seen  even  at  noon-day.  Gradually  it  grew 
dim,  until  it  was  lost  to  sight.  Another  star  in  1604 
appeared  to  undergo  a  similar  change.  And  Geology 
reveals  the  fact  that  fire,  as  well  as  water,  has  already 
effected  the  mightiest  transformations  in  our  planet. 
On  the  face  of  every  precipice  and  broken  crag, — in 
every  excavation  and  quarry,  may  be  seen  records  of 
periods  of  wild  disorder,  and  the  effects  of  mighty 
changes  and  convulsions.  "Thus  placed  on  a  planet 
which  is  to  be  burned  up,  and  under  heavens  that 
are  to  pass  away ;  thus  treading  as  it  were  on  the 
cemeteries,  and  dwelling  on  the  mausoleums  of 
former  worlds,  let  us  learn  the  lesson  of  humility  and 
wisdom,  if  we  have  not  already  been  taught  it,  in  the 
school  of  revelation." 

The  sceptic  may  reject  the  idea  of  the  burning  of 


78  My  FATHER'S  House. 

the  world,  but,  how  easy  for  the  Creator  to  cause  the 
elements  to  melt,  with  fervent  heat !  There  is  a  sub- 
stance, diffused  throughout  nature,  one  of  the  com- 
ponent parts  of  the  air  we  breathe,  the  basis  of  the 
water  we  drink,  the  principle  of  vegetation,  and 
which  contains  also  the  very  principle  of  combustion. 
In  its  decomposed  state,  it  will  cause  iron  or  steel  to 
take  lire,  and  blaze  under  its  energy.  Let  the 
Creator  but  command  this  invisible  fluid  to  be  sepa- 
rated from  its  compound,  and  exert  its  energies 
unrestrained,  and  a  universal  conflagration  would 
commence ;  rocks  and  metals,  as  well  as  inflammable 
substances  would  blaze  everywhere.  It  is  true  that 
rocks,  sand,  and  water,  will  not  burn,  but,  when 
decomposed,  they  are  found  to  be  made  up  of  ele- 
ments, that  are  either  combustible,  or  the  supporters 
of  combustion.  Let  this  invisible  fluid  be  set  loose, 
and  it  would  at  once  decompose  the  water  of  the 
rivers,  lakes  and  oceans,  and  form  a  mixture  with 
one  of  its  elements,  which,  if  brought  in  contact  with 
the  fires  on  the  surface,  or  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
or,  with  so  much  as  a  burning  taper,  would  produce 
an  explosion  which  would  shake  the  earth  to  its 
centre.  Even  the  rocks,  Ave  are  told,  have  a  metallic 
base,  which,  when  brought  into  contact  with  water, 
will  produce  an  explosion  of  greater  or  less  violence. 
"Were  the  whole  atmosphere  at  once  dissolved,  fear- 
ful concussions  and  detonations,  of  which  it  is  impos- 


The  Place.  79 

sible  to  form  any  adequate  conception,  would  ensue, 
and  both  sea  and  land  be  enwrapped  in  sudden  fire. 
Thus  does  science  harmonize  with  revelation,  and 
teach  how  easy  it  would  be  for  the  Most  High  to 
bring  to  pass  His  word,  that  the  earth  shall  be  burnt 
up,  and  the  heaven.-,  or  its  surrounding  atmosphere, 
shall  pass  away  with  a  mighty  noise. 

But  we  are  not  to  conclude  that  this  destruction  of 
the  earth,  by  fire,  will  be  its  annihilation,  any  more 
than  that  the  disappearance  of  stars  that  once  shone 
with  superiour  brilliancy,  proves  that  they  have  been 
blotted  from  existence.  The  inundations,  igneous 
changes  and  transformations,  through  which  our 
earth  passed  before  it  was  habitable  by  the  human 
race,  and  which  changes  ma}T  have  been  as  great  as 
that  which  will  be  produced  by  the  fires  of  the  last 
day,  did  not  prove  its  annihilation.  The  earth, 
having  been  subjected  to  the  curse,  on  account  of 
man's  sin,  shall  be  purified  by  those  fires,  and  may 
afterwards  be  renewed,  surrounded  with  new  aerial 
heavens,  and  beautified  beyond  what  eye  hath  seen 
or  ear  heard,  or  the  heart  of  man  conceived,  and 
then  become  one  of  the  many  mansions  in  the  House 
of  the  Father,  an  apartment  of  heaven,  which  the 
redeemed  shall  visit  axd  occupy,  from  time  to  time, 
as  they  do  other  apartments  of  that  blessed  abode ; 
nay,  perhaps  regard  with  peculiar  interest,  as  having 
been  the   place   of   their   rebellion,  their   Saviour's 


80  My  FATHER'S  House. 

atoning  sufferings,  their  reconciliation,  their  disci- 
pline and  training  for  heaven.  The  Scriptures 
plainly  teach  that  heaven  is  a  place  already  existing  ; 
but  there  is  nothing  contradictory  to  their  teachings 
in  supposing  that  new  £i  mansions,"  or  apartments 
may,  from  time  to  time,  be  added  thereto.  The 
grand  feature  of  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth 
which  are  to  succeed  the  present,  and  form  a  part  of 
the  Christian's  future  home,  is  that  "  righteousness " 
is  to  dwell  therein.  It  seems  to  be  the  Apostle's 
object  simply  to  declare  that  the  scene  of  our  pres- 
ent sins  and  sufferings  is  to  be  i-eclaimed  from  the 
curse,  become  the  dwelling-place  of  righteousness, 
and  is  then  to  be  included  in  those  blessed  regions. 

The  "Word  of  God  clearly  teaches  us  that  man,  in 
his  future  state,  will  consist  of  a  soul  residing  in  a 
corporeal  frame.  He  will  still  have  a  complex 
nature  ;  he  will  not  be  spirit  alone,  nor  a  merely 
corporeal  substance.  He  must  therefore  have  a  home 
on  which  he  may  reside,  suited  to  the  nature  of  his 
corporeal  frame,  not  "an  abode  of  dimness  and 
mystery,  so  remote  from  human  experience  as  to  be 
beyond  all  comprehension,"  "  a  lofty  aerial  re 
where  the  inmates  float  in  ether,  or  are  mysteriously 
suspended  upon  nothing,"'-"  but  a  home  suited  to  the 
body  of  the   resin  and 

action,   "from    which  neans 

*  Dr.  Chalmers. 


The   Place.  81 

unknown  to  us,  to  other  localities  in  the  universe." 
"  From  their  past  and  present  history,  the  Christian 
turns  his  eager  eye  to  the  future  of  the  sidereal 
systems,  and  looks  to  them  as  the  hallowed  spots  in 
which  his  immortal  existence  is  to  run.  Scripture 
has  not  spoken  with  an  articulate  voice  of  the  future 
locality  of  the  blest,  but  reason  has  combined  the 
scattered  utterances  of  inspiration,  and,  with  a 
voice,  almost  oracular,  has  declared  that  He  who 
made  the  world,  will,  in  the  worlds  which  He  has 
made,  place  the  beings  of  His  choice.'"  "  In  what 
regions  of  space  these  mansions  are  built — on  what 
sphere  the  mouldering  dust  is  to  be  gathered  and 
revived,  and  by  what  process  it  is  to  reach  its  desti- 
nation, reason  does  not  enable  us  to  determine ;  but 
it  is  impossible  for  immortal  man,  with  the  light  of 
revelation  as  his  guide,  to  doubt  for  a  moment  that 
on  the  celestial  spheres  his  future  is  to  be  spent — ■ 
spent  doubtless  in  lofty  inquiries — in  social  inter- 
•  course  ;  in  the  renewal  of  domestic  ties — and  in  the 
service  of  his  Almighty  Benefactor.  "With  such  a 
vista  before  us,  so  wide  in  its  expanse,  and  so  remote 
in  its  termination,  what  scenes  of  beauty — what 
forms  of  the  sublime — what  enjoyments,  physical 
and  intellectual,  may  we  not  anticipate,  wisdom  to 
the  sage — rest  to  the  pilgrim — and  gladness  to 
the  broken  in  heart !  "* 

*  More  Worlds  than  One,  pp.  24,  262. 
4* 


82  My    FATHER'S    House. 

Heaven  is  a  subject  on  which  the  Bible  sets  limits 
to  its  information.  There  are  mysteries  in  respect  to 
which  it  does  not  encourage  an  impertinent  famili- 
arity, or  seek  to  gratify  a  vain  curiosity.  "We  should 
not  attempt  to  invade  this  reticence,  or  to  overleap 
the  bounds  which  are  set  about  the  Sacred  Mount. 
"What  has  been  termed  "definiteness"  may  be 
sought  at  too  great  an  expense — at  the  expense  of 
reverence  and  devotion. 

It  is,  doubtless,  infinitely  more  important  for  us  to 
read  in  the  Divine  Charter,  our  "  title  to  a  treasure 
in  the  skies,"  than  to  be  able  to  determine  the  exact 
locality  of  heaven.  "  "We  know  that  Jesus  is  the 
way  to  it,  and  that  the  holy  souls  will  find  it  after 
their  dismissal  from  the  body.  Angels,  who  know 
the  way,  will  conduct  them  to  it  in  perfect  peace  and 
safety.  Our  principal  business  is  to  prepare  for  it, 
by  following  '  peace  with  all  men,  and  holiness,  with- 
out which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord.'  The  certainty 
of  the  place,  wherever  it  may  be,  is  unquestionable  ;  • 
and,  if  our  preparation  for  it  be  equally  certain,  we 
have  nothing  to  fear  either  in  life  or  in  death."* 
"We  may  suppose  all  the  glories  of  all  created  worlds, 
objects  of  grandeur  and  sublimity,  brought  together 
there  and  combined,  as  they  are  nowhere  else  in  the 
universe,  and  yet  our  conceptions  will  fall  infinitely 
short  of  the  reality ;   it  will  still  be  true  that  eye 

*  Edmonson's  Scripture  Views  of  Heaven,  pp.  31,  32. 


The    Place.  g3 

hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive  the  things  which 
God  hath  laid  up  for  them  that  love  him. 

We  speak  of  the  realms  of  the  blest, 

Of  that  country  so  bright  and  so  fair  ; 
And  oft  are  its  glories  confessed — 

But  what  must  it  be  to  be  there  ? 

We  speak  of  its  pathways  of  gold, 

Of  its  walks  decked  with  jewels  so  rare, 

Of  its  wonders  and  pleasures  untold — 
But  what  must  it  be  to  be  there  ? 


84  My    F  A  T  H  E 


V. 

NO  MORE  SEA. 

JN  the  symbolical  "  new  earth,"  which  John  saw 
in  vision,  "  there  was  no  more  sea."*  There 
will,  in  that  world,  be  no  physical  or  moral  uses 
for  that  vast  expanse  of  waters  which  covers  three 
parts  of  the  present  dwelling-place  of  onr  race. 
And,  as  a  treacherous,  stormy  element,  there  will 
be  nothing  in  heaven,  of  which  the  ocean  may  be 
employed,  even  as  a  figure. 

The  sea  is  a  vast  burying-place.  The  ashes  of 
myriads  of  our  race,  in  its  coral  tombs,  or  among 
its  shining  pearls,  await  the  archangel's  trump.  The 
fate  of  empires,  in  bloody  contests,  have  been  decided 
upon  its  bosom.  Here  the  Persian,  and  the  Greek, 
the  Koman,  and  the  Ottoman,  and  the  Spaniard, 
sleep  their  last  sleep  : 

"  The  battle  thunders  will  not  break  their  rest." 
*  Rev.  xxi.  1. 


X  o    M  o  r  e    Ska.  85 

Many  a  hardy  mariner, — many  of  those  who  go  down 
to  the  sea  in  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  commerce,  or 
for  health,  or  pleasure,  or  who  make  it  their  highway 
to  a  new  home,  hare  found  their  graves  in  its  sun- 
less depths.     Yes  ;  there  are  richer  treasures  than 

-  Wedges  of  gold,  great  anchors,  heaps  of  pearls, 
Inestimable  stones,  unvalued  jewels, 
All  scattered  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea/"' 

for,  there  sleep  many  of  our  race,  heirs  of  immor- 
tality. There  sleep  many  of  the  saints  of  God.  ISTo 
account  shall  it  be  required  to  give  of  the  gold  and 
gems  sealed  up  in  its  secret  coffers.  But  of  the 
relics  of  the  dead  it  has  in  charge,  it  must,  at  a 
future  day,  give  a  faithful  reckoning.  Every  one 
of  its  dead  will  be  reclaimed,  and  must  be  surren- 
dered. The  youthful  Lowrie,  hurled  by  Chinese 
pirates  into  the  waves,  throwing  back  upon  the 
junk's  deck  the  Bible  which  he  had  devoted  his 
life  to  teach  to  the  nation  of  his  murderers,  at  the 
same  time  lifting  a  glance  heavenward,  as  if  he 
would  say,  in  the  words  of  his  dying  Lord,  "Father, 
forgive  them,  they  know  not  what  they  do ;" — the 
veteran,  toil-worn  Judson,  all  spent  with  labours  for 
Christ,  who,  although  spared  the  dreaded  "  necessity 
of  burying  a  wife  in  the  sea,"*  sleeps  not  beneath  the 
palm-trees  of  Burmah,  but  will  come  from  his  ocean- 
*  See  Dr.  Judson's  Obituary  of  Mrs.  Sarah  B.  Judson. 


86  My    FATHER'S    Hoi 

bed  to  meet  "  those  beloved  beings  whose  bodies  are 
mouldering  at  Amherst  and  St.  Helena ;"  the  proto- 
missionary  of  America,  the  friend  of  Africa,  Samuel 
J.  Mills  ;  the  young  labourers  from  Corisco,  husband 
and  wife ;  the  clergyman,  Cowles,  on  the  deck  of 
"  The  Home,"  shattered  in  health  but  unshaken  in 
faith,  amid  "  the  perils  of  the  sea ;"  the  eloquent 
Cookman  who  shared  in  the  mysterious  fate  of 
"  The  President ;"  all  these  will  hear  and  obey  the 
summons  to  come  from  this  honoured  grave ;  they 
shall  hear  that  trumpet,  at  the  sound  of  which  the 
sea  shall  give  up  the  dead  which  are  in  it. 

At  the  second  appearing  of  the  Son  of  Man,  seated 
on  the  throne  of  judgment,  both  the  sea  and  the  land 
will  give  up  the  human  bodies  they  contain,  the  cor- 
ruptible clothed  upon  with  incorruption,  the  mortal 
with  immortality,  the  natural  with  the  spiritual  body, 
all  prepared  for  eternal  companionship  with  the  souls 
which  once  inhabited  them  here.  And  then,  the  sea, 
and  the  land,  and  the  heavens,  which  are  now,  shall 
flee  away,  and  there  shall  be  a  new  heaven  and  a 
new  earth,  but  no  more  sea.  This  new  heaven  and 
new  earth,  in  which  there  is  to  be  no  sea,  is  to  be  the 
residence  of  the  blessed  and  glorified,  after  the  finish- 
ing of  all  God's  purposes  in  respect  to  the  present 
material  earth. 

It  greatly  softens  the  terrors  of  the  final  dissolution 
of  all  things  when  we  connect  with  it  the  glorious 


No    More    Sea.  87 

issue  which  the  Word  of  God  reveals.  The  earth  and 
the  heavens  are  to  flee  away,  to  give  place  to  those 
which  are  far  more  glorious.  The  apostle  John  had 
already  had  the  scroll  of  the  Future  unrolled  before 
his  astonished  gaze.  God  had  shown  him  that  heaven 
with  all  its  principalities  was  on  the  side  of  that  little 
church,  which  was  beleaguered  with  enemies.  He 
had  seen  celestial  beings  hurrying  on  swift  wings  to 
succour  those  whom  the  hand  of  power  oppressed. 
He  had  seen  the  lightnings  flash,  and  heard  the 
thunder  of  God's  power  against  the  persecutors  of 
His  people.  He  had  seen,  in  prophetic  vision, 
Jewish,  Pagan,  and  Papal  enemies  destroyed.  He 
had  looked  upon  the  earth  in  its  Millennial  purity 
and  beauty.  He  had  seen  Satan  liberated  and  going 
out  to  deceive  the  nations.  He  had  looked  upon  the 
great  battle  of  "  Gog  and  Magog."  And  now  behold, 
the  end  approaches.  He  has  a  vision  of  a  great 
white  throne  set  for  judgment,  and  the  passing  away 
of  heaven  and  earth.  Graves  open ;  the  sea  gives  up 
its  dead ;  and  small  and  great  stand  before  God. 
The  books  are  opened ;  the  righteous  rewarded  ;  the 
wicked  condemned. 

Thus,  the  passing  away  of  the  present  heavens  and 
earth,  when  considered  in  the  light  of  that  great, 
divine  plan,  which  is  unfolded  in  prophecy,  is  to 
be  regarded,  as  but  one  stage  in  that  plan,  as 
unfolded  in  the  Apocalypse,  in  which  God  the  Father, 


88  My  FAT  B  ::i:  'S   H  o 

Son,  and  Holy  Ghost — angels,  men,  and  devils — 
heaven,  earth,  and  hell, — the  resurrection,  the  iinal 
conflagration,  the  judgment-day — and  the  retribu- 
tions of  an  eternal  state,  are  made  successively  to 
pass  before  us.  When  Jehovah  has  accomplished  all 
His  purposes  of  judgment  and  mercy,  in  respect  to 
this  lower  world,  the  stage  will  be  taken  down,  and 
another  scene  opened  on  a  new  and  grander  theatre. 
The  writer  of  the  Apocalypse  uses  strong  and  ani- 
mated figures.  He  does  not  mean  that  at  the  end  of 
this  world,  heaven  will  then  be  new  created,  and  thus 
contradict  what  is  elsewhere  clearly  taught  in  the 
Scriptures,  that  it  is  a  place  already  prepared,  into 
which  the  translated  Enoch  and  Elijah,  and  the  risen 
and  ascended  Forerunner,  have  entered,  in  glorified 
humanity.  But  he  means  that  at  the  resurrection, 
and  after  the  judgment-day,  eternity  will  succeed  to 
time,  and  the  saints  united  to  their  glorified  bodies 
will  enter  upon  a  higher  state  of  happiness,  and  into  a 
place  to  their  bodies  at  least  new,  and  infinitely  supe- 
rior to  their  former  dwelling-place.  He  expressly 
says  that  no  place  was  found  for  the  present  heavens 
and  earth,  and  that  there  was  no  more  sea. 

The  heaven  into  which  Enoch  and  Elijah  entered, 
— into  which  Christ  entered,  and  all  the  saints,  at  their 
resurrection,  will  be  admitted,  clothed  with  a  body, 
like  unto  Christ's,  where  the  righteous  receive  their 
reward,  where  discipline  and  trial  will  be  succeeded 


No   More    Sea.  39 

by  eternal  holiness  and  joy,  there  will  he  no  rigorous 
cold,  no  torrid  heat,  no  wastes  of  Arctic  snow  and 
ice,  no  howling  deserts,  no  blustering  wind,  no 
sea, — nothing  to  occasion  fear  or  uneasiness;  hut, 
contrariwise,  everything  which  can  contribute  to  the 
perfect  enjoyment  of  both  soul  and  body,  for  ever. 
In  that  land  of  wealth,  none  shall  encounter  peril ; 
none  toil  for  paltry  gold.  No  pain  or  sickness  there; 
no  voyaging  for  new  continents  or  climates,  or,  for 
healthful  breezes.  The  spiritual  body  will  not  be 
dependent  on  material  food,  the  supply  of  the  harvest- 
field,  the  flesh  of  animals,  or  the  product  of  the  sea. 
Hunger  and  thirst,  as  well  as  winter  and  storm,  will 
have  for  ever  passed  away.  This  corruptible  will 
have  put  on  incorruption ;  for  flesh  and  blood  shall 
not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God.  "We  shall  have 
bodies,  but  not  like  our  present,  full  of  weakness, 
exposed  to  disease,  dependent  for  nourishment  and 
life  on  food  and  drink ;  but  spiritual  bodies,  knowing 
no  decay,  having  a  principle  of  immortal  life,  and 
youth,  and  beauty.  The  constitution  of  things  will 
be  changed  from  what  it  is  now.  Humanity  will 
have  been  purged  of  its  last  taint  of  corruption.  It 
will  have  no  cumbrous  weights,  to  clog  or  impede 
its  activity.  Swift  wings  will  speed  it  on,  in  the 
service  and  adoration  of  heaven's  King.  The  employ- 
ments of  heaven  will  perfectly  harmonize  with  the 
powers  and  highest  bliss  of  both  the  souls  and  glori- 


90  My    FATHER'S    II  ocse. 

fled  bodies  of  the  redeemed.  These  employments 
will  involve  no  weariness,  danger,  or  hardship.  The 
activity  of  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  will  have  a 
worthy  object;  and  that,  object  can  never  be  mi 
Now,  after  the  greatest  labour  and  hardship,  we  are 
often  defeated  and  disappointed  ;  we  see  the  prize  on 
which  we  had  fondly  fixed  our  gaze,  and  had  fol- 
lowed, perhaps,  through  weary  months  or  years  of 
earnest  effort,  for  ever  elude  our  grasp.  The  ship, 
which  has  visited  distant  seas  for  spices,  or  gems,  or 
oils,  founders  at  the  harbour's  mouth  ;  the  storehouse 
which  contains  the  accumulated  fruits  of  a  life's  toil 
is  consumed  in  the  conflagration  of  a  night.  Xot  so 
in  heaven.  There  will  be  no  unrewarded  effort,  no 
disappointment,  there.  Every  faculty  will  have  the 
highest  incentive  to  action ;  and  every  effort  will 
meet  with  its  certain  and  full  reward. 

In  addition  to  lofty  and  almost  impassable  moun- 
tains, nature  has  fortified  the  separate  divisions  of  the 
earth,  by  interposing  vast  expanses  of  water.  They 
check  the  spirit  of  bloody  conquest  and  despotic  rule. 
Not  only  are  the  peaceful  or  the  weak,  protected 
against  the  warlike  or  the  powerful,  but  the  vices 
and  corruptions,  which  are  propagated  by  example, 
meet  a  somewhat  difficult  barrier,  in  those  great 
bodies  of  water  which  separate  the  human  race  into 
distinct  kingdoms  or  nations.  But  in  heaven,  the 
depravity  which  has  arrayed  our  race  in  jealous  and 


No    More    Sea.  91 

hostile  divisions,  which  has  so  often  incarnadined  the 
wave,  and  fattened  the  soil  with  human  blood,- — and 
which,  like  leaven,  diffuses  evil  principles,  and  vices, 
far  and  wide,  will  have  no  existence.     Its  last  trace 
will  be  left  in  the  graves  whence  the  bodies  of  the 
saints     shall    arise.      The     inhabitants     of    heaven, 
gathered    out    of   every  kingdom,   and    nation,   and 
tongue,  will  form,  not  merely  one  great  kingdom,  but 
one  great,   united,   loving  family.     All  will  honour 
the  same  God  as  their  Father,  the  same  Jesus,  as 
their  Saviour.     And  although  we  are"  taught,  that, 
as  one  star  differeth  from  another  in  glory,  so  also 
shall  it  be  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  yet  the  Hot- 
tentot,  and   the   Greenlander,  the   Asiatic   and   the 
European,  the  African,  and  the  American,  the  prince 
and  the  slave,  shall  all  sit  down  with  Abraham,  and 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  their  common 
Father  and  Redeemer.     All  the  true  people  of  God, 
of  every  nation,  and  of  every  communion,  will  meet 
there,  in  perfect  harmony  and    love,  prepared    for 
eternal  and  perfect  union  in  the  same  lofty  service. 
jSTo   barriers   or   bounds,  no   lines   of  separation,  or 
jealous  distinction,  will  be  ever  known  there.     God 
has  employed  the  ocean,  and  will  employ  it  on  a  still 
grander  scale,  in  diffusing  religion  and  civilization 
over  this  revolted  earth  of  ours.     We  have  an  open 
highway,  from  our  very  doors,  over  which  Commerce 
is  bearing,  on  its  wings,  the  Gospel  of  peace.     I  see, 


92  My    FATHER'S    House. 

in  its  extension,  the  agency,  under  God.  which  gives 
assurance  that  idolatry  and  every  false  religion  must 
cease  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  But,  in  heaven, 
there  will  he  no  nnrecovered  provinces  of  dart 
cruelty,  and  guilt;  all  will  be  filled  with  the  light  of 
holiness.  And  in  heaven,  too.  there  will  he  no  long 
transit  of  latitude  and  longitude  to  obstruct  the  inter- 
course of  the  redeemed  with  every  part  of  God's  holy 
empire  ;  bnt,  with  the  celerity  of  angels,  they  will  pass 
from  one  section  of  it  to  another.  The  whole  family 
of  God  will  be  brought  into  the  most  intimate  and 
endearing  relations,  and  know  even  as  also  they  are 
known. 

Again  ;  what  is  more  unstable  than  water?  "What 
is  more  easily  agitated,  in  its  lesser  quantities,  or 
more  given  to  change  in  its  vaster  collections  ? 
How  different  is  the  ocean  in  a  calm,  than  when 
visited  with  the  tempest !  ]STow  it  mirrors  all  the 
glories  of  the  o'er-arching  sky,  reduplicating  every 
fleecy  cloud,  as  it  sails  quietly  on,  in  its  lofty  path  ; 
but  let  the  tempest,  in  its  wildness  and  wrath,  sweep 
over  it.  and  its  billows,  as  if  ten  thousand  giant  mon- 
sters were  struggling  to  rise  from  the  depths  below, 
man's  frail  bark  like  a  feather,  or  beat,  with 
deafening  thunder,  on  the  shore.  Xow.  its  smooth 
surface  and  a  favouring  breeze  court  the  mariner 
from  his  secure  haven ;  the  next  day  he  is  battling, 
and    struggling   amid  its  breakers.      Of   this    life, 


N  0      M  0  K  E      S  E  A  .  93 

indeed,  it  is  an  appropriate  emblem.  ]\Tuw,  the  sun 
of  prosperity  shines,  ye  have  favouring  gales.  We 
have  health,  friends,  possessions.  Anon,  that  sun  is 
obscured,  or  sets  in  tempest.  Friends  die;  health 
fails ;  riches  take  to  themselves  wings  and  fly  away. 
But  in  heaven  there  will  be  no  change,  no  insta- 
bility, no  inconstancy.  He  who  is  the  same  yester- 
day, to-day  and  for  ever,  is  the  King  of  that  country. 
A  past  eternity  has  witnessed  no  change  in  Him  ;  an 
eternity  to  come  will  witness  none.  Heaven  itself 
will  undergo  no  change ;  it  will  need  no  change. 
The  inhabitants  of  heaven  will  never  change,  or 
desire  change.  They  will  not  be  subject  to  the 
painful  changes  which  affect  our  earthly  lot.  Those 
who  once  knew  the  vicissitudes  of  Christian  experi- 
ence— now  triumphing  in  hope,  now  mourning  over 
departed  joys — confirmed  in  holiness  and  likeness  to 
God,  will  know  those  vicissitudes  no  more. 

There  is  mystery,  moreover,  in  the  sea.  It  may 
well  be  styled,  "  the  great  deep."  It  has  doors  and 
bars  which  say,  not  only  to  its  own  proud  waves,  but 
to  inquisitive  man,  "  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but 
no  further."  It  seems  to  own  an  allegiance  to  the 
satellite  of  our  planet,  which  it  refuses  to  the  sun. 
"Whence  its  saltness  ?  Who  knows  its  depth  ?  Who 
has  gone  down  and  explored  its  secret  caverns? 
Who  has  "entered  into  the  springs  of  the  sea," 
or    "walked  in  search  of   the   depths?"      "What 


94:  Mt  FATHER'S   House. 

undescribed  monsters,  what  unimaginable  shapes, 
may  be  roving  in  the  profoundest  places  of  the  sea, 
never  seeking-,  and  perhaps  from  their  nature  unable 
to  seek,  the  upper  waters,  and  expose  themselves  to 
the  gaze  of  men !  Where  are  the  bodies  of  those 
lost  ones  over  whom  the  melancholy  waves  alone 
chant  requiem?  What  shrouds  were  wrapped  round 
the  limbs  of  beauty  and  of  manhood,  and  of  placid 
infancy,  when  they  were  laid  on  the  dark  floor  of 
that  secret  tomb?  Who  shall  tell  the  bereaved  to 
what  spot  their  affections  may  cling,  and  where  their 
tears  may  be  shed,  throughout  that  solemn  sepul- 
chre?"* O,  mysterious  sea  !  without  divine  revela- 
tion, the  whole  world  would  be  another  just  such 
mystery  as  we  see  in  thee ;  even  with  it  there  are  so 
many  mysteries  of  nature,  of  providence,  and  of 
grace,  that  all  that  feeble  man  can  say  is,  "  I  will 
wait." 

But,  in  heaven,  all  mysteries  will  be  cleared  up. 
Every  hard  doctrine  will  be  understood ;  and  we 
shall  discover  how  perfect,  in  all  its  parts,  is  the 
system  of  divine  truth.  We  shall  be  able  to  go  to 
the  very  bottom  of  that  of  which  we  now  see  but  the 
surface.  The  bars  and  doors  which  now  say  "Hith- 
erto shalt  thou  come,  but  no  further,"  shall  be  thrown 
open,  and  that  which  is  secret  now,  shall  be  seen  to 
be  but  the  hidden  and  manifold  wisdom  of  God. 
*  Rev.  Mr.  Greenwood,  Boston. 


No    Moke    Sea.  95 

And  those  mysteries  in  our  own  histories,  which  at 
present  make  up  the  intricate  web  of  Providence, 
shall  be  all  unravelled,  and  we  shall  see  how  neces- 
sary they  were  to  bring  us  to  that  world,  where  the 
light  shall  be  brighter  than  the  noon.  The  disap- 
pointed hope  in  respect  to  some  beloved  child,  or 
husband,  or  wife, — the  failure  of  some  cherished 
worldly  enterprise, — the  delay  of  our  wishes,  and  the 
defeat  of  our  plans,  will  then  be  seen  to  have  been 
the  orderings  of  God's  wise  and  gracious  providence, 
and  a  part  of  that  discipline  necessary  to  teach  us  to 
say,  "Abba,  Father,"  or  to  prepare  us  to  bow,  with 
humble  adoration  before  the  throne  of  His  glory,  and 
shout,  ""Worthy  is  the  Lamb." 

In  heaven,  feeble  types  and  images  will  all  be  done 
away.  Xow,  we  need  something  to  help  us — to  lift 
our  minds  up  towards  the  majesty  of  Jehovah — some 
scaffolding  to  raise  our  pigmy  thought  towards  the 
Infinite  One.  "We  have  His  "Word.  "We  have  the  fir- 
mament and  the  sea — types  of  every  kind  of  vastness 
— immensity,  eternity,  omnipotence,  infinity.  But  in 
heaven,  the  redeemed  will  be  admitted  into  the  very 
presence-chamber  of  the  King  of  kings.  They  shall 
enjoy  the  beatific  vision  of  God.  They  shall  no  longer 
look  through  a  glass  darkly  ;  and  having  reached  the 
summit,  the  scaffolding  will  be  removed.  "  Blessed 
are  the  pure  in  heart;  for  they  shall  see  God." 
"What  that  means,  we  shall  be  able  to  fathom  when 


96  My    FATHER'S    House. 

admitted  to  the  blissful  vision.  TVe  shall  see  the 
King  in  His  beaut}r.  "We  shall  see  Christ  in  His  glo- 
rified body.  We  shall  see  all  the  grandeur  of  the 
divine  attributes,  beaming  in  softened  glory  from 
that  body  which  once  hung  on  Calvary's  cross.  It 
was  with  the  veil  of  His  flesh,  that  He  concealed  His 
Divinity,  when  on  earth ;  and  through  the  veil  of 
His  glorified  humanity  in  heaven,  the  redeemed  shall 
see  God.  O,  blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart !  "  And 
I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth ;  for  the  first 
heaven  and  the  first  earth  were  passed  away ;  and 
there  was  no  more  sea."  "  And  there  shall  be  no 
more  curse  ;  but  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb 
shall  be  in  it ;  and  His  servants  shall  serve  Hem  ;  and 
they  shall  see  His  face;  and  His  name  shall  be  in 
their  foreheads.  And  there  shall  be  no  night  there  ; 
and  they  need  no  candle,  neither  light  of  the  sun ; 
for  the  Lord  God  giveth  them  light ;  and  they  shall 
reign  for  ever  and  ever."  Blessed,  thrice  blessed  are 
the  pure  in  heart ! 


No  Pain;  No    Sorrow;   No    more   Death.     97 


VI. 

NO  TAIN;  NO   SORROW;   NO  MORE  DEATH. 

THE  saints  in  heaven  will  enjoy  complete  deliver- 
ance from  all  those  physical  evils,  which  so 
marred  their  peace  and  comfort,  in  this  world.  It 
is  easy  to  conceive  of  suffering,  even  among  beings 
made  perfectly  holy ;  but  the  Word  of  God  teaches 
us  that  there  will  be  entire  freedom  in  heaven,  from 
every  cause  of  sorrow,  fear,  pain,  or  anxiety,  by 
which  we  are,  at  present,  disquieted.  "While  in  the 
flesh,  the  believer  often  suffers  much  from  the  expec- 
tation of  evil,  or  an  apprehension  of  impending 
calamity.  His  forebodings  are  one  of  the  evidences 
of  a  sinful,  fallen  state  ;  and  are,  no  doubt,  enhanced 
by  the  many  cases  of  extreme  suffering,  which  may 
always  be  met  with,  among  men. 

"Want  is  one  of  the  most  familiar  evils,  in  our 
world.  In  whatever  direction  we  turn  our  eyes, 
many  may  be  found,  who  know  not,  one  day,  on 
what  they  shall  subsist  the  next,  and  often  have  no 

5 


98  My   FATHER'S   II  o  use. 

description  of  food  whatever,  in  their  houses ;  and, 
frequently,  at  the  most  inclement  season  of  the  year, 
are  destitute  of  fuel,  and  comfortable  garments.     Ah  ! 

Ave  little  think,  as  we  sit  by  the  bright  and  cheerful 
fireside,  or  partake  of  the  rich  bounties  of  Providence, 
on  our  tables,  how  many  shiver,  houseless,  in  the 
blast,  or  sit  benumbed,  over  the  few  embers,  on  their 
desolate  hearths ! 

"  How  many  shrink  into  the  sordid  hut 
Of  cheerless  poverty !" 

Poverty  appears  to  have  been  coeval  with  society  ; 
and,  so  long  as  this  is  an  apostate  world,  we  may- 
expect  the  words  of  the  law-giver  of  Israel,  "  The  poor 
shall  never  cease  out  of  the  land,"*  and  the  words  of 
the  great  Prophet,  like  unto  Moses,  "Ye  have  the 
poor  always  with  yoiy'f  to  be  fulfilled.  And  the 
remark,  although  it  appears  not  strictly  to  belong  in 
this  place,  must  be  allowed,  that  God  has  distributed 
His  stewards  and  almoners,  side  by  side,  with  those 
who  need  their  bounty.  "  Blessed  is  he  that  consi- 
dereth  the  poor  ;"%  aye  considereth — that  they  have 
feelings  as  well  as  wants,  and  that  a  favour  may  be 
bestowed  almost  as  great  in  the  manner,  as  in  the 
matter,  of  the  gift.  There  may  be  as  much  true 
charity  in  a  kind  word,  or  a  kind  tear,  as  in  the 
silver  and  gold  which  accompany  them;  and  more, 

*  Dcut.  xv.  11.        t  Matt.  xxvi.  11.        %  Ps.  xli.  1. 


No   Paix;  No   Son  row;  No   More   Death.     99 

than  when  that  gold  is  coldly  or  proudly  given ;  and 
the  recipient  is  made  to  feel  that  he  is  only  despised, 
for  the  stern  necessity  which  makes  him  one.     But 
in  heaven  there  will  be  no  want:  "They  shall  hnngei 
no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more."     "  For  the  Lamb 
which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  shall  feed  them, 
and  shall  lead  them  unto  living  fountains  of  waters."* 
That  which  creates  so    many   distinctions  and  jeal- 
ousies, here  on  earth,  will    create  none  in  heaven. 
All  will  be  put  into  possession  of  riches  that  perish 
not,  treasures  that  are  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and 
that  fade  not  away  ;  not  the  gold  and  silver  of  earth, 
which  men  now  toil,  and  often  impoverish,  if  they  do 
not    sell,  their  souls,  to  gain.     The  wealth  of  this 
world  can  be   enjoyed   but  for  a  moment,  that  of 
heaven  is  an  everlasting  inheritance.     Wait  a  little 
longer,  thou  poor,  perhaps   despised,  and   suffering 
saint,  and  heaven  will  dawn  on  thee !    and  all  its 
riches,  through  the  love  of  thy  redeeming,  interced- 
ing Lord,  be  poured  at  thy  feet ! 

Our  life  begins  with  the  helplessness  and  sufferings 
of  infancy,  and,  if  protracted,  ends  with  the  decre- 
pitude and  dotage  of  old  age.  Threescore,  or 
fourscore  years  often  make  sad  havoc  in  the  memory, 
and  other  intellectual  faculties,  as  well  as  in  the  bod)-. 
Sometimes,  "  in  the  wreck  of  mind,  the  whole  cargo 
of  knowledge  seems  to  be  lost."    The  clouds  return 

*  Rev.  vii.  16,  17. 


100  My    FATHER'S    IIocse. 

after  the  rain  ;  the  keepers  of  the  house  tremble  ;  the 
strong  men  bow  themselves ;  fears  arc  in  the  way  ; 
and  the  grasshopper  becomes  a  burden.  The  bloom- 
ing, beaming  countenance,  and  the  sparkling  eve, 
and  the  strength  of  manhood  are  gone.  Those  that 
look  out  of  the  ■windows  are  darkened  ;  the  doors  are 
shut  in  the  streets  when  the  sound  of  the  grinding  is 
low.  Impaired  organs  of  sight  and  hearing  are 
among  the  most  common  infirmities  of  the  aged.  A 
minister,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-two  years,  on  one 
of  the  first  occasions,  when  he  attempted  to  preach 
the  gospel,  found  himself  in  an  inland  country  village. 
On  entering  the  pulpit,  two  venerable  men  were 
already  seated  there.  They  had  not  the  appearance 
of  clergymen ;  and  he  could  hardly  conjecture  for 
what  purpose  they  were  there.  But,  when  he  arose 
to  preach,  they  stood  up,  and,  proceeding  to  arrange 
an  acoustic  apparatus,  of  simple  contrivance,  leaned 
over  the  pulpit  by  his  side,  to  catch  his  words.  The 
text  was  Ps.  lxxxix.  15,  "  Blessed  is  the  people  that 
know  the  joyful  sound."  The  inexperienced  youth 
who  stood  between  these  two  aged  disciples,  and 
attempted  to  show  why  the  Gospel  is  a  joyful  Bound, 
and  what  it  is  to  know  it,  might  well  feel  his  insuffi- 
ciency; he  felt  assured  that  they  could  easily  distin- 
guish the  "joyful"  from  an  "uncertain"  sound; — 
could  well  "understand"  what  they  took  so  much 
pains  to  "hear."     And  well  does  he  remember,  in 


No  Pais;   No  Sorrow;   No   More   Death.    101 

the  congregation,  where  lie  first  performed  the  duties 
of  a  pastor,  another  bald  crown,  that,  Sabbath  after 
Sabbath,  for  many  months,  rose  in  a  similar  position, 
by  his  side.  Long  since,  these  old  men  disappeared 
from  the  earthly  sanctuary.  They  have  gone  where 
there  are  no  impaired  faculties,  no  decays ;  where  the 
inhabitants  are  ever  blooming,  and  ever  young. 

But  bodily  infirmities  are  not  confined  to  the  aged. 
Suffering,  mental  as  well  as  bodily,  from  some  per- 
sonal    DEFORMITY,      FROM     DISMEMBERMENT,     OR     FROM 

impaired  faculties,  is  too  common,  in  our  world,  to 
justify  us  in  disregarding  any  part  of  Revelation, 
from  which  consolation  may  be  derived,  through  the 
prospect  of  better  things.  Let  the  blind  and  the 
deaf  be  pointed  to  heaven.  Let  it  be  told  them  that, 
there,  none  shall  be  debarred  from  the  pleasures  of 
vision,  or  of  sound.  Every  eye  shall  see  Jesus  as  He 
is ;  every  ear  shall  listen  to  the  praises  of  Him,  which 
fill  heaven;  and  every  tongue  shall  join  to  swell  the 
anthem,  "Tnoir  art  worthy."  Ah,  well  does  the 
writer  remember  a  dear  youth,*  who  fell  under  his 
pastoral  care,  in  the  earlier  years  of  his  ministry. 
He  had  never  heard  the  sweet  sound  of  any  human 
voice.  At  the  early  age  of  seven  or  eight  years,  he 
had  been  placed  under  that  admirable  system  of 
instruction,  which  has  been  devised  for  deaf  mutes ; 

*  T.  S.  P.,  Jr.,  son  of  the  late  T.  S.  P.,  Esq.,  N.  L.,  and  grandson 
of  the  second  Gov.  Griswold  of  Conn. 


102  My   FATHER'S   House. 

and  soon  became  well  versed  in  the  several  branches 
of  a  common  English  education.     He  was  naturally 
much  addicted  to  violent  fits  of  anger ;  but,  when 
about  fourteen  years  old,  a  great,  and  most  gratifying 
change  took  place  in  him.     He  addressed  letters  to 
his  mother  from  the  Institution  of  which  he  was  a 
member,  and  acquainted  her  with  his  deep  religious 
anxiety.     When  he  returned  home,  in  the  Spring,  in 
addition  to  their  own  instruction,  his  parents  judi- 
ciously placed  such  books  as  Edwards  on  the  Affec- 
tions, the  History  of  Redemption,  and  Doddridge's 
Rise  and  Progress,  in  his  hands.     In  the  last-named 
work,  he   became    intensely    interested.     He    spent 
nearly  a  week,  hardly  allowing  himself  time  enough, 
for  necessary  exercise,  in  its  perusal.     "When  he  had 
finished  it,  he  went  to  his  mother,  and  told  her  that 
the    burden   which    had   weighed    him    down  was 
gone ;  that  he  loved  Christ,  and  was  happy.     Hence- 
forth, he  contended  earnestly  and  successfully,  with 
his  irascible  temper.     He  was  most  scrupulous  and 
exemplary  in  his  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  and  the 
outward  duties  of   religion.     He  took   the  greatest 
interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  his  brothers  and 
sisters.     On  a  table,  in    his  little    apartment,  in  a 
retired  part  of  the  house,  might  be  seen  the  book 
which  ho  prized  above  all  others,  the  Bible,  the  gilt 
worn  off  from  its  edges,  and  its  leaves  turned  down 
here  and  there,  all  showing  how  much  he  read  that 


No  Pain;   No   Sorrow;   No   more    Death.    103 

holy  book.  Sometimes  lie  came  to  the  house  of  God, 
and  with  his  quick,  beaming  glance  seemed  to  say, 
c  Would  that  I  could  hear!'  and  to  gratify  his  wish 
to  know  what  was  said,  on  a  particular  occasion,  the 
manuscript  of  the  discourse  was  sent  for  his  perusal. 
Frequently,  he  came  to  my  house,  with  his  slate 
under  his  arm,  for  conversation.  I  soon  discovered 
that  religion,  the  love  of  the  Saviour,  was  the  subject 
which  was  ivpperrnost  with  him.  But'  a  violent 
disease  smote  him ;  he  faded  with  the  Autumn 
flowers,  about  two  years  after  his  mind  was  first 
directed  to  religion.  Sickness  did  its  work,  in  a  few 
days.  When  I  went  to  see  him,  he  tried  to  make  me 
understand  that  his  sufferings  were  very  great,  but 
that  his  chief  grief  was,  that  he  could  not  read  the 
Word  of  God.  As  his  father,  sitting  by  his  bedside, 
would  spell  out,  with  his  fingers,  some  of  the  pro- 
mises, or  his  favourite  passages  from  the  Bible, 
although  his  poor  body  was  racked  with  pain,  his 
countenance  expressed  by  smiles,  an  inward  peace, 
or  brightened  up,  as  if  light  fell  on  it,  from  within 
the  veil. 

On  a  November  Sabbath  morning,  just  as  the  bells 
were  ringing,  to  call  the  people  to  the  house  of  the 
Lord,  death  set  him  free — summoned  him  to  go  up 
to  a  temple,  not  made  with  hands,  to  enjoy  a  per- 
petual Sabbath  in  the  presence  of  God.  The  snows 
of  fifteen  winters  have  whitened  the  narrow  mound 


104  My    FATHER'S    House. 

where  his  body  sleeps,  and  the  birds  of  as  many 
summers  have  sung  from  his  headstone,  or  built  their 
nests  in  the  branches  that  hang  over  it.  In  a  recent 
summer  ramble,  I  spent  a  pensive  hour  near  the 
spot,  where  we  laid  his  dust,  and  where  I  could  read 
many  familiar  names  of  others,  known  and  loved, 
who  have  already  fallen  asleep  in  Christ.  I  thought 
of  the  words,  which  we  almost  seemed  to  hear  whis- 
pered in  the  bleak  gusts,  when  we  laid  it  there: 

"Receive  my  clay,  thou  treasurer  of  death  ! 
I  ivill  no  more  demand  my  tongue, 
Till  the  gross  orga?i,  well  refined, 
Shall  trace  the  boundless  flights  of  an  unfettered  mind, 
And  raise  an  equal  songP 

But  the  ear  that  never  listened  to  the  Gospel,  or  the 
songs  of  Zion  on  earth,  now  listens  to  the  wonders  of 
redemption,  recounted  in  the  ISTew  Song ;  and  the 
voice  that  was  never  fashioned  to  the  language  of 
praise  and  prayer,  here  below,  shall  mingle  with 
those  of  angels,  and  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  per- 
fect, in  raising  "  an  equal  song." 

The  author  cannot  forbear  to  couple  with  the  fore- 
going another  incident,  because  it  is  one  of  the  latest, 
in  3 1 is  pastoral  experience,  and  therefore  fresh  and 
vivid  in  its  impression,  and  because  it  similarly  illus- 
trates the  adaptation  of  religion  to  our  present  trying 
necessities,  and  of  its  glorious  prospects  to  support 


No    Paix;    No    Sorrow;    No    More    Death.     105 

and  cheer  the  most  afflicted  of  our  race.  It  relates 
to  a  man,*  who,  impotent  like  him  whom  Christ 
healed  at  the  pool  of  Bethseda,  had  been  in  that 
situation,  or  a  more  helpless  one,  a  much  longer 
period ;  for,  while  the  man  whom  Christ  healed, 
appears  to  have  had  some  strength  and  power  of 
motion  left  in  his  limbs,  this  man  had  none  ;  while 
that  man  had  been  impotent  less  than  forty  years, 
this  man  had  been  so  more  than  fifty.  When  a  mere 
youth,  not  more  than  thirteen  years  old,  this  afflic- 
tion had  come  upon  him.  For  the  last  thirty  years 
of  his  life,  he  had  not  been  carried  across  his  thresh- 
old more  than  three  times.  In  the  seclusion  of  his 
own  dwelling,  sitting  apart  from  the  active  world, 
hearing  only  the  distant  sound  of  its  busy  stir,  almost 
unknown  and  forgotten  by  it,  he  spent  the  years  of  a 
long  life.  But  he  did  not  spend  them  idly.  In  addi- 
tion to  a  mechanical  employment,  by  which  he  con- 
tributed to  his  daily  support,  he  stored  his  mind  with 
useful  information.  Twenty-six  years  ago,  he  lost 
his  best  earthly  friend — that  friend  whose  heart 
turned  towards  him  with  the  greatest  tenderness,  as 
her  first-born,  and  the  smitten,  helpless  one  of  her 
flock — and  who  loved  and  cared  for  him  only  as  a 
mother  can  love  and  care  for  such  a  child.  That 
was  to  him  a  dark  and  bitter  day.  But  God  had 
already  raised  up  one  to  take  the  place  of  that  mother. 

*  W.  B.,  of  P.,  who  deceased  March  12th,  li     , 


106  My    FATHER'S    House. 

Twenty  years  ago,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  on  the 
reading  of  the  Scriptures,  and  religious  books,  and 
such  private  instruction  as  he  occasionally  received, 
he  began  to  give  evidence  of  sincere  piety.  The  tes- 
timony of  the  few  that  knew  him  is  uniform,  that 
his  conversation  and  deportment  were  eminently 
Christian.  If  a  neighbour,  in  his  hearing,  uttered 
censorious  or  angry  remarks,  he  was  ready  to  pour 
the  soothing  words  of  peace  upon  his  mind.  My  own 
acquaintance  with  him  was  of  very  recent  date.  I 
knew  not  that  there  was  such  a  man  in  the  town, 
until,  in  the  course  of  my  first  pastoral  A-isitation,  I 
called  at  the  house  in  which  he  lived.  I  was  not 
long  in  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  a 
humble  child  of  God.  And  it  was  not  long  before  I 
was  ready  to  ask :  What  doth  hinder  this  man  to  be 
baptized  ?  True  ;  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to 
make  a  public  profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ,  in  the 
presence  of  the  congregation.  And  this  I  considered 
might  have  been  the  reason  why  the  privilege  had 
not  been  extended  to  him  before.  Cut,  then,  might 
he  not  be  baptized  as  the  Philippian  jailer  and  the 
Ethiopian  eunuch,  and  many  others  were,  by  the 
Apostles,  in  a  less  public  manner?  I  proposed  it  to 
him.  The  subject  was  new;  he  hesitated,  but,  at 
length,  rermested  that  he  might  be  admitted  to  the 
ordinances  of  Christ's  house.  It  was  a  few  days 
before  the  regular  season  for  the  communion  of  the 


No    Paix;    No    Sorrow;  No    More    Death.      107 

Lord's  Supper ;  and  he  was  in  his  usual  health,  or 
even  somewhat  better  than  he  had  generally  been, 
for  more  than  a  year.  But  when  the  officers  of  the 
church  called  with  me  two  days  after,  to  attend  to 
the  usual  examination  in  such  cases,  we  found  him 
on  his  bed.  lie  had  been  taken  with  a  chill  on  the 
evening  of  the  very  day  when  he  made  his  request 
to  be  admitted  to  the  church. 

On  the  Sabbath,  when  the  elders,  and  a  few  friends 
assembled  at  his  house,  he  was  still  upon  his  bed, 
and  evidently  suffering  much,  from  pain  and  weak- 
ness of  body.  lie  was  able,  however,  and  with 
apparent  satisfaction,  to  attend  upon  the  appointed 
services.  To  the  questions,  "Do  you  believe  in  God 
the  Father,  and  in  Jesus  Christ  His  only  Son,  our 
Lord,"  &c,  he  answered  in  a  firm,  distinct  voice,  "  I 
do."  The  ordinances  were  administered;  and  seldom 
have  I  been  present  at  a  more  affecting  scene.  We 
were  all  ready  to  exclaim,  "  This  is  none  other  but 
the  house  of  God ;  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven." 
The  next  day,  a  little  before  noon,  that  voice  was 
heard  again,  in  a  distinct  and  solemn  utterance.  He 
called  to  his  sister,  and  said,  '-  The  messenger  is  come 
— the  messenger  is  come ;  and  I  am  ready ;"  and, 
with  a  few  more  words,  fell  asleep  in  Christ.  In  the 
resurrection,  the  long  useless,  withered  limbs,  and 
the  deformed  body,  which  we  carried  to  the  grave, 
shall    come    forth,   having    gathered    strength    and 


108  My    FATHER'S    House. 

beauty,  for  the  life  everlasting.  In  heaven,  life,  and 
the  laws  of  life  will  suffer  from  no  diseases  or  dis- 
asters. In  that  world,  there  will  be  no  scarred  or 
emaciated  frames ;  no  lame,  or  palsied  limbs;  no 
sightless  eyes,  deaf  ears,  mute  tongues ;  no  impaired 
senses ;  no  enfeebled,  idiotic,  or  insane  minds.  There 
the  "  thorn  in  the  flesh  "  -  shall  have  departed  from 
Paul ;  he  shall  have  no  more  occasion  to  glory  in 
"  infirmities,"  for  "  the  power  of  Christ,"  in  all  its 
fulness,  will  rest  upon  him.  There,  the  blind  Milton 
shall  see  glories,  such  as  his  gifted  pen  never  des-' 
cribed ;  the  sad,  and  often  distracted  Cowper  never 
sing,  "  Where  is  the  blessedness  I  knew  ?"  or  string 
his  harp  to  notes  of  grief. 

In  heaven,  there  will  be  >:o  Sickness — no  Death. 
Here,  our  infants  wail  almost  with  their  first  breath ; 
and,  in  some  cases,  life  is  but  one  prolonged  sickness. 
To  painful  nights,  the  wished-for  morning  brings  no 
relief.  In  Winter,  the  sufferers  may  long  for  Spring ; 
but  when  it  returns,  with  its  mild  breath,  its  buds  and 
birds,  it  brings  no  health  to  them.  Instead  of  asking, 
"  Who  is  sick  ?"  we  may  rather  ask,  "  Who  is  well?" 
Should  an  angel  be  commissioned  to  place  a  mark  upon 
the  door-post  of  every  house  into  which  disease  enters 
not,  in  some  of  its  forms,  whose  house  would  bear  the 
friendly  "token?"  Would  any  "Goshen"  be  found 
for  the  dwellings  of  men  ?  All,  with  the  exception  of 
*  ]  Cor.  xii.  7-10. 


No    Pain;    No    Sorrow;    No    More    Death.     109 

those  who  fall  by  a  violent  or  sudden  death,  come  at 
length  to  lie  down  upon  the  bed  of  sickness.     But, 
blessed  be  God  !  there  is  a  world,  where  none  of  the 
inhabitants  shall  ever    say,   "I  am    sick."     In    the 
separate  state,  that  is,  between  death  and  the  resur- 
rection, the  soul  cannot  suffer,  through  the  medium 
of  the  body ;  for  the  body  will  then  be  resting  in  the 
grave.     And  the  miracles  of  the  morning  of  the  resur- 
rection shall  be  seen  to  be  the  antitypes  of  those 
which  Christ  performed  in  the  days  of  His  flesh ;  for, 
then,  not  only  the  grave  and  the  sea  shall  again  heed 
His  voice,  not  only  the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be 
opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  unstopped,  and  the 
lame  man  leap  as  a  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb 
sing,  but  diseases,  and  all  their  secret  germs,  shall  be 
left  in  the  grave,— the  rightful  possessor  of  all  that 
is  corrupt  and  corruptible.     No  burning  fever,  no 
lingering   consumption— that  scourge   so   quiet   and 
flattering,    yet     so     desolating — no    worn,    hazard 
countenances,   shall   be   seen    in   the   celestial   citv. 
Ah!    look  upon    this  sorrowful    group,  these    little 
ones,  as  they  gather  in  childish  amazement,  around 
the  bed  of  suffering.     What  earthly  friend  will  love 
them  as  a  mother,  or  a  father  loved?   In  one  instance, 
during  my  pastoral  life,  have  I  seen,  side   by  side, 
under   the   same   roof,    a  mother    and  a   daughter, 
withering  before  the  same  insidious  disease ;  and  in 
another,  a  third  victim  marked  by  this  destroyer,  ere 


110  My  FATHER'S    House. 

the  first  had  been  carried  out ;  and  all  three,  in  less 
than  one  short  year,  lying  side  by  side,  in  the  grave. 
How  often  we  see  the  rose  blooming,  in  mocking 
contrast,  on  the  wasted  cheek  of  youth  and  beauty  ! 
"Who  will  be  the  light  of  that  sad  dwelling,  when  a 
few  more  suns  have  set  ?  Mark  the  anguish  of  those 
parents,  whose  heads  begin  to  whiten,  with  the  frost 
of  years,  as  they  bow  over  the  coffin  of  a  son  who  had 
just  ripened  into  manhood,  and  upon  whom  they 
thought  ere  long  to  lean,  as  a  staff  to  their  tottering 
steps.  The  very  earth  is  mellow  with  its  graves. 
Those  who  have  borne,  on  their  shoulders,  their 
fellow  men,  are,  in  their  turn,  borne  to  the  same 
resting-place.  The  funeral  procession  has  become  so 
familar  a  spectacle  as  almost  to  have  lost  its  "  touch- 
ing moral." 

But  it  was  man  himself  (let  it  never  be  forgotten) 
who  unbarred  the  gate,  and  let  the  destroyer  in  upon 
his  race.  Tie  disregarded  the  warning.  He  ate.  He 
died.  First,  a  brother  lifted  up  his  hand  against  his 
brother,  and  a  lifeless  corpse  fell  prostrate  at  his  feet. 
It  was  such  a  sight  as  human  eye  never  looked  upon 
before.  A  fearful  shadow  haunted  him,  and  has 
haunted  all  the  race  from  that  hour.  Death  was  in 
the  world. 

Then  War  whetted  his  glittering  weapons,  and 
went  forth  to  his  wholesale  butcheries.  Kot  one 
brother,  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  or  in  some  gloomy 


No    Paix;    No    Sorrow;    No    More    Death.    Ill 

dell,  shut  iu  by  rocks  and  trees,  smites  another,  but 
ranks,  clad  in  mail,  with  their  keen  weapons,  stand 
out  confronted  on  the  open  plain,  in  the  broad  light 
of  heaven.  They  rush  to  the  encounter.  Swords 
are  sheathed  in  throbbing  hearts.  Even  a  victory 
must  be  purchased  at  so  great  an  expense  of  human 
life,  that  it  has  been  pronounced  by  one*  of  the  most 
renowned  of  modern  captains,  "  the  greatest  of  all 
calamities  except  a  defeat,"  Go,  look  upon  the  bat- 
tle-held, fattened  with  human  gore,  where  human 
limbs  and  trunks — swords  that  fell  from  hands  that 
could  wield  them  no  longer — banners  that  floated 
gaily  on  the  morning  breeze,  now  torn  and  smeared 
with  blood  and  dust — the  horse  and  his  pale  rider 
side  by  side — are  strewed  in  wild  confusion  over  the 
ground ;  and  estimate,  if  you  can,  the  woe  which 
death  has  brought  into  the  world. 

But  lo !  another  emissary  is  summoned  to  the 
work.  He  comes  not  with  the  gay  trappings,  the 
clarion-blast,  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  war.  It 
is  the  Pestilence.  How  dreadful  its  approach ! 
How  terrible  to  stand  and  gaze  at  its  steady,  awful, 
not  to  say  sublime  march  !  It  cometh  up  from  the 
desert.  It  climbs  the  mountain-steppes,  and  descends 
into  the  fair  vales  of  Asia ;  it  riots  amid  torrid  heats, 
nor  meets  a  barrier  in  the  frosts  of  Russia.  It 
embarks  on  the  ocean  for  new  continents,  feeding  on 
*  The  Duke  of  Wellington. 


112  My    FATHER'S  House. 

the  unhappy  mortals  who  voyage  with  it.  It  walketh 
in  darkness.  It  comes  to  the  pillow  of  those  who 
went  to  their  rest  in  apparent  health,  and  ere  the 
morning-  dawns,  they  are  writhing  in  the  agonies  of 
dissolution.  It  destroyeth  at  noon-day.  It  meets 
men  in  the  chief  places  of  concourse,  in  the  resorts 
of  gaiety,  in  the  marts  of  business,  interrupts  their 
pleasures,  and  breaks  up  their  ambitious  schemes,  and 
golden  enterprises.  For  the  most  lordly  mansion, 
there  is  no  charmed  circle.  It  mocks  at  pharmacy 
and  sanitary  metes  and  bounds — at  armour  and 
Aveapons  of  defence.  The  warrior,  who  has  returned, 
unscathed  amidst  the  iron  hail  of  many  a  battle- 
field, has  no  soldiery  with  which  to  drive  back,  no 
shield  to  turn  aside  the  arrow  of  the  destroyer. 
Exposed  to  numberless  accidents,  and  a  great  variety 
of  diseases,  it  is  impossible  for  men  who  reflect,  not 
to  feel  that  their  happiness  and  their  hopes,  so  far  as 
this  world  is  concerned,  are  dependent  on  a  very 
slender  thread,  which  may  be  snapped  at  any 
moment ;  that 

"  Earthly  things 
Are  but  the  transient  pageants  of  an  hour ; 
And  earthly  pride  is  like  the  passing  flower. 
That  springs  to  fall,  and  blossoms  but  to  di 

Therefore,  the  disclosure  of  Christianity,  that  there 
*  Kirk  White. 


No    Pain;    No    Sorrow;    No    More    Death.    113 

is  a  world  in  which  "  there  shall  be  no  more  death, 
neither  sorrow  nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any 
niore  pain,"*  is  precisely  adapted  to  our  necessities. 
This  may  be  a  world  into  which  men  are  born  to  die, 
which  already  contains  more  graves  of  the  dead,  than 
living  men ;  nay,  the  very  earth  may  become  one 
vast  catacomb,  entombing  the  dust  of  the  myriads 
who  have  flourished,  for  their  brief  day,  on  its  sur- 
face. But,  God  be  praised  !  there  is  another,  into 
which  saints  .shall  be  ushered  to  live — to  live  for 
ever.  I  see  one  foe  after  another  driven  from  the 
field.  The  great  Captain  of  salvation  bears  His 
sword  upon  His  thigh.  Lo !  His  enemies  fall  before 
Hm,  and  every  conquest  hastens  the  hour,  when  but 
one  enemy  shall  remain,  who  shall  see  in  his  own 
solitary  grandeur,  as  the  last  left  on  the  field,  and  in 
the  fallen  carcases  all  around  him,  his  certain,  imme- 
diate doom.  Kay,  he  is  already  a  captive  foe.  In 
tasting  death,  Christ  conquered  death  for  every 
believer.  "  He  spoiled  principalities  and  powers  ;" 
He  disarmed  them,  despoiled  them  of  all  their  power .  ■ 
and  when  the  last  morning  dawns,  it  will  be  seen 
that  His  victory  was  complete.  He  entered  the  ter- 
ritories of  the  grave — stormed  the  very  citadel  of 
death,  and  returned  with  the  monarch  of  that  pale 
empire  chained  to  His  chariot- wheels.  As  He  issued 
from  the  portals  of  the  sepulchre,  He  bore  aloft  a 
*  Rev.  xxi.  4. 


114  My  FATHER'S    Housk. 

banner,  on  which  was  inscribed,  "I  am  the  Lord, 
strong  and  mighty,  the  Loed  mighty  in  battle  !"  "I 
am  the  King  of  Gloey!"  '"I  am  He  that  was  dead 
and  is  alive  again!"  "lam  the  Resurrection  and 
the  Ltfe  !"  His  resurrection  was  the  pledge  of  His 
victory,  and  the  victory  of  His  people  over  the  king 
of  terrors.  The  holy  dead,  by  the  might  of  their 
great  Forerunner,  shall  rise,  never  more  to  die. 
"  Oh!  Death,  where  is  thy  sting?  Oh!  Grave,  where 
is  thy  victory  ?"  is  the  anticipated  shout  of  the  Lord's 
people,  when  they  shall  see  their  bodies  ransomed 
from  the  power  of  the  grave,  and  the  deserted  tomb 
become  a  monument,  that  Death  has  lost  the  victory 
for  ever.  And  as  they  shout,  they  shall  rise  to  new 
worlds,  over  whose  gates  it  shall  be  inscribed:  There 

SHALL  BE  NO  MOKE  DEATtt. 

Blessed,  unspeakably  blessed,  shall  all  those  be, 
who  enter  those  regions  of  Life  and  Light,  and  over 
whom  "the  second  death"  shall  have  no  power. 


No   Nioht    Thehe.  1 1 5 


NO    NIGHT    THERE. 

THE  Bible  teaches  that  our  "  Father's  House  "  will 
be  totally  unlike  the  present  abode  of  mortals. 
It  will  have  no  sun,  no  moon,  no  night,  no  curse. 
"  Flesh  and  blood  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of 
God."  In  attempting  to  give  us  some  idea  of  what 
heaven  is,  by  telling  us  what  it  is  not,  it  specifies  the 
exclusion  of  just  those  things  which  belong  to  man's 
present  painful  experience,  or  are  great  character- 
istical  features  of  the  material  planet  he  inhabits. 
There  is  nothing  on  earth  from  which  he  can  form  an 
adequate  conception  of  the  spiritual  glories  of  that 
world.  It  will  be  as  unlike  the  present,  as  the  "  zpi- 
ritual  body,"  which  shall  be  raised  from  the  grave, 
will  be  unlike  the  "natural,"  committed  to  it.  And 
just  as  we  should  be  cautious  not  to  think  of  the 
Divine  Being  as  like  ourselves,  so  we  should  be 
careful  not  to  conceive  of  heaven  only  as  a  sort  of 
better  earth,  than  that  which  we  now  inhabit. 


116  My    FATHER'S    Her  si: . 

In  that  beautiful  description,  in  the  closing  chapters 
of  the  Apocalypse,  it  is  twice*  asserted  that  there 
shall  be  no  night  in  heaven.  It  is  said  that  the  city 
had  no  need  of  the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon  to  shine 
in  it ;  for  the  glory  of  God  did  lighten  it,  and  the 
Lamb  is  the  light  thereof.  And  they  need  no  candle. 
Our  varying  positions,  arising  from  the  motion  of  our 
globe  in  its  orbit,  and  its  diurnal  revolution,  give  to  the 
sun,  which  enlightens  our  system,  the  appearance  of 
many  daily  and  annual  changes;  hence  its  different 
positions  at  morning1,  noon  and  night,  in  spring  and 
autumn,  summer  and  winter.  The  succession  of 
winter  to  summer  is  just  as  constant,  as  the  annual 
revolution  of  the  earth  around  the  sun ;  and  the 
succession  of  night  to  day  as  certain,  as  its  diurnal 
motion,  on  its  axis.  For  one  half  our  time  night 
enshrouds  us.  The  moment  of  our  noon-day  bright- 
ness is  the  moment  of  midnight  gloom  to  our  anti- 
podes. The  coming  on  of  evening  to  us  is  the  dawn- 
ing of  morning  to  others.  After  a  few  hours,  we,  in 
turn,  lie  in  the  deep  shadow  of  the  illuminated  half 
of  our  revolving  sphere.  But,  there  shall  be  no  such 
alternation  of  light  and  darkness  in  heaven;  night 
will  have  accomplished  its  full  mission,  and  the 
season  of  everlasting  day  have  commenced.  The 
Being,  who  is  the  Sun  of  that  world,  who  is  the 
Father  of  lights,  the  Creator  of  the  material  sun,  and 

*  Rev.  xxi.  25  ;  xxii.  5. 


No    Night    There.  117 

all  other  celestial  orbs,  is  without  parallax"-  or  shadow 
of  turning, — will  know  no  rising,  no  setting,  no 
tropic  ;  and  its  inhabitants  shall  behold  Him  as  He 
is,  in  His  meridian  effulgence,  for  ever,  and  be 
delivered  from  all  obscure  and  erroneous  views  of 
His  character,  His  ways,  and  works.  For,  as  the 
natural  sun  appears  to  have  many  changes  and 
motions,  which  it  really  has  not,  but  are  in  fact 
appearances  which  arise  from  our  changing  situa- 
tions in  respect  to  it;  so  in  the  present  state 
we  have  many  erroneous  and  obscured  visions  of 
the  Deity,  which  are  phenomenal,  rather  than  real, 
and  are  to  be  ascribed  to  our  present  point  of  obser- 
vation. 

In  the  present  system  of  nature,  the  night  seems  as 
necessary  to  us  as  the  day.  Men  and  animals  need 
repose,  which  is  favoured  by  the  silence  and  dark- 
ness of  the  night.  At  the  going  down  of  the  sun,  as 
the  shadows  of  the  evening  deepen,  birds  hie  to  their 
nests  or  their  perch,  animals  to  their  enclosures  or 
lairs — all  save  those  who  make  the  darkness  a  cover 
to  their  search  for  prey — and  men  betake  themselves 
to  their  homes  and  places  of  rest : 

1;  All  the  air  a  solemn  stillness  holds."f 

Even  the  flowers  and  plants  seem  to  welcome  night, 
*  James  i.  17.        f  Gray. 


118  My   FATHER'S  House. 

and  to  gather  refreshed  life  from  its  dewy  moisture. 
But  more  especially  to  man,  wearied  by  labour,  worn 
out  by  affliction,  disheartened  by  disappointment, 
exhilarated  by  pleasure,  excited  by  passion,  is  it  a 
blessing.  It  comes  with  its  friendly  interruption  to 
his  follies,  and  sorrows,  and  cares.  Men,  it  is  true, 
in  their  zeal  and  thirst  for  knowledge,  sometimes 
complain  that  they  are  so  soon  exhausted,  and  that 
so  many  hours  out  of  every  twenty-four,  must  be 
passed  in  the  unconsciousness  of  sleep,  to  restore  the 
wasted  energies  of  mind  and  body.  In  order  to  live, 
we  must  seem  daily  to  die.  JSTot  so  in  heaven. 
Nature  will  not  require  this  restorative  influence  ; 
and,  therefore,  there  shall  be  no  night  there.  In 
their  ceaseless  activity  in  the  service  of  God,  the 
spirits  of  the  just  will  find  their  sweetest  rest,  and 
"  shall  feel  always  the  freshness  of  the  morning." 
'  But  is  not  the  night  beautiful  \  Does  it  not  come 
gently  on,  with  grateful  twilight?  And  is  not  its 
darkness  relieved  by  the  radiance  of  stars,  or  the 
beams  of  that  lesser  light  which  God  ordained  to 
rule  it  ?  And  will  not  every  species  of  beauty  be 
concentrated  in  heaven  V  Yea,  indeed,  such  beauty 
that  all  that  now  passes  under  this  name  will  be  for- 
gotten for  ever.  Even  the  beauties  of  the  night, 
when  the  moon  walketh  in  brightness,  or  the  firma- 
ment is  studded  with  its  "  beamy  fires,"  will  be  so 
far  excelled  by  those  of  the  new  heavens  and  new 


No   Night   There.  119 

earth,  that  "  the  former  shall  not  he  remembered, 
nor  come  into  mind."* 

'But  does  not  the  night,'  it  may  be  further 
inquired,  'reveal  nature  to  us  in  its  vastness  and 
grandeur,  as  it  never  could  have  been  revealed  by 
the  day — the  brightness  of  whose  sun  hides  other 
worlds  with  which  the  universe  is  replenished  ?  Is  it 
not  then  that  the  astronomer  turns  his  tubes  towards 
the  heavens,  and  discovers  to  us  an  extent  of  the  divine 
empire,  such  as  would  have  been  beyond  our  boldest 
conception,  without  the  interposition  and  aid  of  such 
a  teacher  V  True,  all  very  true ;  but  our  dependence 
upon  darkness  to  reveal  to  us  a  creation,  of  which 
our  earth  is  but  an  inconsiderable  part ;  nay,  that  the 
very  light  of  our  system  should  but  serve  to  dazzle 
and  conceal,  argues  the  imperfection  of  the  present 
state,  and  of  our  own  faculties.  "  Be  it  so,"  exclaims 
Melvill,  in  his  celebrated  sermon  on  tins  subject, 
"  be  it  so,  that  night  is  now  our  choice  instructor, 
and  that  a  world  of  perpetual  sunshine  would  be  a 
world  of  gross  ignorance ;  I  feel  that  night  is  to 
cease  because  we  shall  no  longer  need  to  be  taught 
through  a  veil ;  because  Ave  shall  be  able  to  read  the 
universe  illuminated,  and  not  require,  as  now,  to 
have  it  darkened  for  our  gaze.  It  is  like  telhrig  me 
of  a  surprising  increase  of  power ;  I  shall  not  need 

*  Isaiah  Lsv.  17. 


120  My  FATHER'S  House. 

night  as  a  season  of  repose ;  I  shall  not  need  night 
as  a  medium  of  instruction.'"'"" 

But,  upon  the  literal  import  of  the  -words,  "  there 
shall  be  no  night  there,"  it  is  unnecessary  to  dwell. 
They  were,  n©  doubt,  designed  to  teach  us  that 
heaven,  as  a  place  of  residence  and  action,  will  be 
perfectly  suited  to  the  glorified  spiritual  bodies  of  the 
saints.  As  the  inspired  description,  of  which  this 
passage  is  a  part,  is  symbolical,  its  figurative  must 
obviously  be  its  most  important  and  instructive 
sense.     To  this,  let  us  attend. 

The  metaphorical  sense  in  which  "night"  and 
"darkness,"  and  their  correlates,  "day"  and  "light," 
are  used  in  the  Scriptures,  is  marked  with  consider- 
able uniformity.  A  few  examples  will  illustrate 
what  this  almost  uniform  sense  is.  The  apostle 
Peter  exhorts  believers  to  take  heed  to  the  sure  word 
of  prophecy,  as  unto  a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark 
place,  until  the  day  dawn  and  the  day  star  arise  in 
their  hearts.f  That  sure  word  is  compared  to  a 
lamp  shining  in  a  dark  place,  and  the  effect  of  taking 
heed  to  it,  like  the  dawning  of  the  morning  in  the 
believer's  heart.  The  apostle  Paul,  when  speaking 
of  the  nearness  of  eternity,  reminds  Christians  that 
the  time  of  sin  and  sorrow  is  nearly  over,  and  that 
of  holiness  and  happiness  at  hand,  by  the  expression, 

*  Miscellaneous  Sermons,  xi.  p.  390.    American  Edition. 
1 2  Peter  i.  19. 


No    Night    There.  121 

"the  night  is  far  spent,  the  day  is  at  hand."*  Light 
is  the  favourite  image,  both  in  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 
taments, of  true,  saving  knowledge,  of  joy,  prosperity 
and  deliverance  from  trouble  ;  whilst  darkness  and 
night  arc  used  for  ignorance,  unbelief  and  error. 
The  works  of  the  heathen  are  styled  "  works  of 
darkness."  The  "  power  of  darkness  "  represents  the 
dominion  of  sin.  The  punishment  of  the  wicked  is 
uthe  blackness  of  darkness,"  or  "chains  of  dark- 
ness." The  human  mind,  under  the  influence  of 
error  or  ignorance,  is  said  to  be  "  darkness,"  and  its 
unbelief  of  the  Gospel  is  said  to  be  the  "  love  of  dark- 
ness "  rather  than  light. 

Hence,  we  may  interpret  the  absence  of  night  as 
meaning  that  theee  shall  be  no  intellectual  and 
no  spiritual  darkness  in  nEAVEN.  Knowledge  shall 
never  give  place  to  ignorance,  nor  truth  to  error. 
What  we  know  we  shall  know  with  certainty,  and 
without  any  admixture  of  error.  God  will  be  seen 
as  He  is*  and  His  presence  enjoyed  without  interrup- 
tion, and  without  any  decays  of  spiritual  affection. 

Ignorance  of  God  has  long  covered,  as  with  a  pall 
of  darkness,  large  portions  of  the  earth.  With  such 
intellectual  and  moral  faculties  as  we  know  belong  to 
man,  this  wide-spread  and  long-continued  ignorance 
is  a  most  astonishing,  if  not  inexplicable  pheno- 
menon.    The  only  key  to  the  mystery,  inspiration 

*Kom.  xiii.  12. 


122  My  FATHER'S  House. 

furnishes  in  declaring  that  a  judicial  sentence  of 
blindness  lias  gone  forth  from  God  against  men, 
who,  having  the  truth,  hold,  restrain,  or  oppose  it, 
by  unrighteousness.  Knowing  God,  but  glorifying 
Him  not  as  God,  they  become  vain  in  their  imagi- 
nations, and  their  foolish  hearts  are  darkened.* 
Behold  man,  the  boasted  possessor  of  an  intelligent 
power  which  conceives,  judges  and  reasons,  placed  in 
the  midst  of  a  universe  which  reveals  the  existence 
and  perfections  of  the  Creator,  and  in  a  world  in 
which  God  has  revealed  himself  by  the  manifestation 
of  His  Son  and  Spirit  from  heaven  ;  and  how  amazing 
is  it  that  for  so  many  thousands  of  years,  and  over  so 
large  a  portion  of  his  race,  such  gross  darkness  should 
prevail!  If  we  take  a  .map  and  darken  all  those 
parts  of  it  which  represent  countries  where  this  igno- 
rance prevails,  how  few  and  limited  are  the  portions 
which  remain  !  As  the  ocean  covers  three  parts  of 
the  earth's  surface,  so  does  this  dark  pall  now  cover 
three  parts  of  its  inhabited  portions.  There  is  the 
entire  continent  of  Asia,  a  territory  containing  two- 
thirds  of  the  population  of  the  globe — there  are  Tur- 
key, Tartary,  China,  Hindostan,  Persia,  Arabia, 
Siberia — in  a  word,  that  whole  land  from  Nova- 
Zembla  to  Siam,  and  from  the  Dead  Sea  to  the  East- 
ern Ocean,  shrouded  in  the  darkness  of  Pagan  idola- 
try or  Mohammedan   delusion.     And  there  is  the 

♦Rom.  i.  IS,  21. 


NO     NlGIIT      TllKHE.  123 

entire  continent  of  Africa — not  only  the  parts  known 
to  the  civilized  world,  but  the  vast  unexplored 
regions  of  the  interior — from  the  shores  of  Barbary 
to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  from  the  Red  Sea  to 
the  Atlantic,  presenting,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
bright  lights,  which  have  been  kindled  on  its  coasts, 
one  unbroken  front  of  clouds  and  darkness.  And  if 
we  include  those  portions  of  Europe  and  America, 
which  are  destitute  of  a  religion  such  as  the  Bible 
teaches,  we  have  three-fourths  of  the  earth's  surface, 
and  two-thirds  of  its  population,  over  which  igno- 
rance and  spiritual  blindness  reign  with  almost  undis- 
puted sway.  Take  one  of  this  vast  benighted  popu- 
lation, and  let  him  stand  in  your  presence.  lie 
comes,  perhaps,  from  the  shadow  of  the  Himmalehs, 
or  from  the  fertile  plains  of  Tanjore.  You  perceive 
that  he  has  the  form  and  features  of  a  man,  like  your- 
self. Like  you,  he  lias  a  mind.  He  can  think  and 
reason.  He  has  a  soul.  He  can  be  gay,  and  he  can 
be  sad ;  he  can  smile,  and  he  can  weep.  He  does 
not  need  to  be  convinced  that  there  is  a  Power  above 
him,  and  a  future  before  him.  But  how  little  he 
knows !  How  little  respecting  the  God  who  made 
him,  and  the  end  for  which  he  was  made — respecting 
the  creation  of  material  things,  and  the  government 
which  God  exercises  over,  and  the  purposes  He  means 
to  accomplish  by,  this  creation  !  It  is  impossible  for 
ns  to  conceive  of  the  darkness  of  the  most  enlisrht- 


124  M  y   F  A  T  II  E  R  '  S    II  0  i  s  i: . 

ened  Pagan  mind.  It  is  mind  in  ruins.  Or,  per- 
haps, our  representative  of  heathenism  conies  from 
the  interior  of  Southern  Africa.  He  has  neither 
home  nor  shed,  neither  flocks  nor  herds — he  burrows 
like  an  animal  in  the  ground,  or  makes  his  nesl  in 
the  thicket,  with  less  skill  than  that  of  a  stupid  bird. 
Wild  garlic  and  aloes  are  his  fruits  of  the  field,  and 
lizards,  locusts  and  serpents  are  the  meat  of  his  table. 
Such  is  the  ignorance  which,  for.  ages,  has  spread  a 
midnight  pall  over  the  earth. 

But  not  a  shadow  of  this  darkness  will  be  found  in 
heaven.  The  glory  of  God  will  be  revealed  to  every 
inhabitant,  and  will  be  seen  not  as  now,  through  a 
glass  darkly,  but  in  its  unobscured  brightness,  with- 
out variableness,  or  shadow  of  turning.  ~N~o  conti- 
nents or  islands  of  darkness  there.  The  whole  of  that 
happy  land  will  be  enlightened  with  the  glory  of  the 
Lord.  The  intelligent,  moral  nature,  which  belongs 
to  man,  and  gives  to  him  his  value,  can  never,  as  in 
this  world,  become  analogous  to  what  physical  exist- 
ence would  be,  under  a  total  and  permanent  eclipse 
of  the  sun.  Instead  of  night,  with  all  the  phenomena 
incident  to  night,  it  will  be  universal  and  perpetual 
day.  Instead  of  beams  of  material  light  coming 
from  the  sky,  revealing  one  order  of  things,  and  faint 
and  delusive  glimpses,  derived  from  the  primary  and 
almost  forgotten  instructions  of  their  Creator,  reveal- 
ing another    order    of   things,   involving    infinitely 


No    Night    There.  125 

greater  interests,  God  will,  to  the  inhabitants  of 
heaven,  reveal  Himself,  His  holy  character  and  will, 
as  He  was  never  revealed  in  this  world,  to  the  most 
favoured  of  men,  not  excepting  even  those  inspired 
to  communicate  His  written  "Word  to  the  world. 

More  melancholy  than  gems  left  unpolished  and 
neglected  by  the  way-side,  or  than  soil  which  might 
bring  forth  much  fruit,  but  is  permitted  to  remain 
fallow,  is  the  spectacle  of  a  mind  without  knowledge, 
— left  to  vague,  and  often  perverted  notions  of  right 
and  wrong,  abandoned  to  seek  its  pleasure  in  sensual 
gratification,  or  in  habits  of  cruelty ;  and  averse  to 
the  happiness  of  domestic  life.  We  are  not  to  judge 
of  the  collective  state  of  the  people,  even  in  the  most 
favoured  parts  of  the  world,  from  the  refinement,  and 
moral  elevation  of  the  few.  "We  are  not  to  forget 
that  while  the  ethereal  summits  of  certain  tracts  are 
conspicuous,  and  fair  in  the  lustre  of  heaven,  there 
are  gorges  and  chasms  of  society  sunk  in  a  gloom 
which  the  light  of  noon-day  scarcely  penetrates. 
But,  in  heaven,  there  will  be  no  such  diversities  and 
painful  contrasts ;  there  will  be  none  immersed  in 
clouds  of  fog  below,  while  others  from  sun-illu- 
mined heights,  look  far  beyond  the  obscured  region, 
to  other  eminences  bright  as  their  own.  All  the 
Lord's  children,  from  the  least  to  the  greatest,  shall 
be  taught  of  Hem  in  that  world ;  for  it  shall  be  full  of 
the    knowledge  of   the   Lord.     There  will    be    no 


126  My    FATHER'S    House. 

darkened  mind  there,  groping  or  feeling  after  God, 
if  haply  it  may  find  Him  ;  for  God  will  pervade  and 
brighten  that  whole  place  with  His  presence  and 
love. 

.We  are  hardly  permitted,  by  constantly  recurring 
disasters,  for  a  moment,  to  forget,  that  the  present,  in 
respect  to  natural  things,  even,  is  a  state  of  very 
inrperfect  knowledge.  How  little  has  science  yet 
accomplished  for  the  security  of  that  which  men 
most  cherish  and  value — life  !  Knowledge,  at  its 
best  estate,  has  hitherto  been  little  better  than  dark- 
ness. In  some  of  the  most  important  and  critical 
junctures,  men  have  to  go  forward,  as  in  the  dark. 
They  know  not  but  that  the  next  movement  will 
bring  them  to  the  verge  of  the  precipice.  But  in 
heaven,  this  state  of  imperfect  knowledge,  which 
exposes  us  to  so  many  fatal  mistakes,  will  be  left 
behind.  "We  shall  have  left  a  world,  where  the  very 
elements  appear  to  be  arrayed  in  a  hostile  attitude 
to  man.  Our  knowledge,  while  it  must  for  ever 
remain  infinitely  short  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Divine  Mind,  will  yet  be  so  perfect  as  to  secure  us 
against  every  species  of  disaster,  suffering,  or  morti- 
fication, arising  from  mistake. 

But,  more  than  all,  there  will  be  in  heaven  none 
of  those  errors  which  have  proved  so  disastrous  in 
the  moral  history  of  the  most  enlightened  portion  of 
our  race.     Even  Christianity  has  erected  no  insur- 


No    Night    There.  127 

mountable  barrier  to  such  errors  ;  its  doctrines,  so 
pure,  have  been  obscured  and  perverted  into  hurtful 
heresies.  Since  its  introduction,  the  world  has  known 
a  period  of  a  thousand  years,  which  may  well  be 
denominated  the  "  dark  ages."  The  refutation  of 
error  has  not  proved  its  destruction;  for  almost  every 
generation  has  witnessed  the  reviviscence  of  some 
exploded  doctrine  of  a  by-gone  age,  defended  by  its 
supporters,  with  all  the  pride  and  zeal  of  original  dis- 
coverers. The  return  of  delusion — the  self-same 
delusion  which  had  been  dissipated  by  the  light  of 
truth,  again,  and  perhaps  again,  is  like  the  succession 
of  night  to  day ;  so  that  the  watcher,  from  his  high 
place,  surveying  the  Church  militant,  has  never  yet 
had  occasion  to  cease  the  cry,  "  The  morning  cometh, 
and  also  the  night."  It  might  have  been  supposed 
that  Christianity,  at  its  introduction,  would  bring 
with  it  enough  to  produce  speedily  and  permanently, 
an  immense  difference  in  regard  to  the  power  of 
human  knowledge* to  forestal  destructive  errors  and 
heresies.  But  heathenism  rushed  "  into  treacherous 
conjunction  with  Christianity,"  retaining  its  own 
quality  under  the  sanction  of  this  new  name,  and 
quickly  reduced  it  to  surrender  almost  everything 
distinctive  of  it  but  that  arrogated  name.  And 
thousands  of  men  may  still  be  found  who  rest  their 
confidence  on  penance  and  priestly  absolution,  still 
worshipping  relics  and  wafers,    and   regarding  the 


128  M  t  FAT  II  E  R  '  S    II  o  o  s  E  . 

Virgin  and  saints,  as  in  effect,  the  supreme  regency 
of  heaven.  There  still  lingers  enough  of  night  for 
the  spirit  of  delusion  to  walk  abroad  with  great 
power.  jSTor  does  that  spirit  always  assume  the 
garb  of  ritualism,  but  quite  as  often  presents  itself  in 
the  vesture  and  mail  of  a  proud  philosophy.  How 
often  are  we  called  to  mourn  over  the  swerving  of 
minds,  gifted  with  genius  and  adorned  with  learning, 
from  that  simplicity  which  is  in  Christ .'  But,  in  that 
brighter,  better  world,  to  which  Christian  hope  points 
the  believer. 

"  Error  has  no  place  ; 
That  creeping  pestilence  is  driven  away  ; 
The  breath  of  heaven  has  chased  it.    In  the  heart 
No  passion  touches  a  discordant  string, 
But  all  is  harmony  and  love."  * 

A  holy  heart  will  never  prompt  its  possessor  to  dis- 
relish or  to  obscure  the  truth.  There  will  be  so 
perfect  a  harmony  between  that  truth,  and  a  heart 
complete  in  righteousness,  that  knowledge  will  be  for 
ever  secured  against  one  of  the  most  fruitful  causes 
of  its  perversion.  Never  shall  we  understand  the 
power  of  holiness  in  quickening  and  aiding  the  mind 
in  its  pursuit  after  truth,  until  we  arrive  at  heaven. 
Then  shall  we  discover  the  natural  affinity  there  is 
between  goodness  and  truth,  and  that  the  former  is 
*  Cowpcr 


No    Night    There.  129 

as  much  in  order  to  the  latter,  as  the  latter  is  iu  order 
to  the  former. 

And  then,  too,  and  not  till  then,  shall  we  under- 
stand the  capability  of  improvement,  and  the  quick- 
ness, clearness,  and  grasp  of  comprehension  of  that 
wonderful  power  of  intelligence,  with  which  our 
Creator  has  gifted  us.  It  is  now  in  the  first  stage  of 
its  development.  Its  loftiest  movements  are  only- 
like  the  creeping  of  an  infant,  in  comparison  with 
the  firm  and  stately  gait  of  manhood.  It  is  now  in 
bondage  ;  its  body  is  not  only  its  organ,  but  sets 
limits  to  the  very  motions  and  developments  which 
it  aids,  and  becomes  its  prison-house.  How  slow  its 
progress,  from  the  period  of  spontaneous  receptivity, 
at  the  low  starting-point  of  its  existence,  to  the  full 
unfolding  of  its  powers  !  How  slow  are  the  impres- 
sions which  pour  in  upon  it,  from  the  external  world, 
in  awakening  the  first,  clear,  intelligent  impulse ! 
But,  the  mind  at  length  beiDg  awakened,  and  intro- 
duced into  a  new  world,  a  world  within  itself,  how 
long  it  is  before  it  can  feel  at  ease  as  one  at  home.! 
How  often  it  reasons  and  judges  falsely!  How  soon 
it  reaches  maturity,  and  begins  to  decline  to  "  second 
childishness  ! ?'  If  one  has  occasion  to  exclaim,  with 
reference  to  his  physical  nature,  "  I  am  fearfully  and 
wonderfully  made,''  how  much  more  occasion  has  he 
to  exclaim  thus,  with  reference  to  his  intellectual  and 
moral  constitution !     What  a  mystery  is  man  to  hiin- 

6* 


130  My    F  AT  II  Kll'S    Hoi 

self!  Who  lias  ever  satisfactorily  solved  it  ?  Years 
are  required,  even  under  the  most  favourable  circum- 
stances, before  a  man  is  so  much  as  qualified  to  look 
in  upon  the  world  within  himself — and  other  years, 
before,  even  with  all  the  aid  he  can  derive  from 
others,  who  have  pursued  similar  inquiries,  he  can 
lisp  out  any  intelligible  result.  What  diverse  and 
contradictory  systems  of  mental  science  have  been 
propounded  to  the  world!  The  very  history  of 
Philosophy  attests  how  great  a  mystery  is  man  to 
himself.  But  if  we  are  now  feeling  our  way,  as  men 
grope  in  the  dark,  let  us  rejoice  that  there  is  a  world 
which  has  no  night,  where  we  shall  know,  even  as 
also  we  are  known.  There,  human  knowledge  which 
is  merely  seminal  and  imperfect,  will  have  vanished 
away.  We  shall  look  back  upon  it,  as  men  of 
ripened  and  matured  minds  look  back  upon  the 
simplicity  and  crudeness  of  the  thoughts  of  child- 
hood. We  shall  no  longer  see  in  doubt,  or  by  guess, 
as  the  ancients  did  through  their  windows  composed 
©f  the  lamina  of  pellucid  talc,  or  thin  plates  of 
horn,"  but  we  shall  see  things  in  their  reality.  Our 
knowledge  will  no  longer  be  of  things  as  they  seem, 
but  of  things  as  they  really  are.  We  shall  no  longer 
gaze,  like  men  travelling  over  a  strange  road  in  the 
dimness  of  the  evening,  who  are  liable  to  mistake 
shadows  for  realities.    When  that  which  is  perfect  is 

*  1  Cor.  xiii.  12. 


No    Nigut    There.  131 

come,  then  that  which  is  imperfect  shall  be  done 
away.  We  shall  perceive  the  full  meaning  of  those 
words,  "  Then  shall  I  know  even  as  also  I  am  known." 
Our  intellectual  perceptions  will  be  always  clear  and 
infallible.  Our  mental  faculties,  will  be  as  com- 
pletely under  our  command,  as  are  now  the  members 
of  our  corporeal  frames,  and  we  shall  be  as  able  to 
study  and  understand  ourselves,  and  arrive  at  know- 
ledge, which  is  of  internal  origin,  as  we  are  now  to 
study  those  things,  which  are  addressed  to  the  senses. 
The  light  of  heaven  will  instantly  let  men  into  such 
a  knowledge  of  spiritual  philosophy,  that  they  will 
look  back  upon  the  doctrines  of  the  profoundest 
thinkers,  as  the  feeble  speculations  of  the  infant 
mind.  Then  will  be  realized,  and  more  than 
realized,  what  some  of  these  men  have  dreamed, 
respecting  the  direct  intuitions  of  truth,  and  con- 
ceptions which  are  accessible  only  to  the  pure 
reason.  The  sphere  or  range  of  intuitive  knowledge 
will  not  only  be  greatly  enlarged,  but  those  portions 
of  knowledge  which  must  still  be  referred  to  the 
reasoning  faculty,  as  their  source,  will  be  both  more 
readily  and  agreeably  attained,  on  account  of  the 
perfect  command  which  the  mind  will  have  over  its 
faculties — no  longer  limited  and  cramped  by  a  body 
of  flesh  and  blood,  but  clothed  upon  with  a  spiritual 
body,  of  immortal  life  and  vigour.  With  an  incon- 
ceivable celerity  and  an  unerring  certainty,  it  will  be 


132  M  v    FAT  H  BR'S    Hodbe, 

guided  to  its  conclusions.  It  will  be  so  purged  of  all 
obscuring  influences,  and  so  quickened  and  invigo- 
rated, and  exalted  to  an  eminence  so  much,  more 
commanding  than  any  which  it  is  possible  for  earthly 
scholars  to  reach,  that  human  sciences,  as  we  now 
conceive  of  them,  like  the  material  heavens  and 
earth,  which  are  destined  to  pass  away,  shall  not  be 
remembered,  or  come  into  mind. 

"  And  there  shall  be  no  night  there,"' — no  moral  or 
spiritual  night,  Now,  our  imperfect  knowledge  of 
divine  truth,  but  especially  our  partial  sanctification, 
cannot  secure  us  against  great  and  painful  vicissi- 
tudes of  Christian  experience.  Now,  the  believer 
rejoices  in  the  Lord;  he  has  a  lively  faith,  an 
animating  hope ;  not  a  cloud  obscures  his  pros- 
pects ;  his  tongue  cannot  express  the  deep,  spirit- 
ual joy,  which  is  his  portion;  he  reaps  of  that 
gladness  which  is  sown  for  the  upright ;  his  light 
is  as  the  noonday.  But  he  cannot  be  always  secure 
of  this  elevated  experience.  A  change  may  come, 
and  come  suddenly ;  his  light  be  turned  into  obscur- 
ity, and  his  noonday  brightness  into  the  darkness 
of  night.  He  writes  bitter  things  against  himself. 
Hear  David,  from  whom  we  have  so  many  strains 
of  hope  and  rejoicing, — hear  him,  when  it  is  no 
longer  day,  but  night  with  his  soul :  "  My  tears 
have  been  my  meat  day  and  night,  while  they 
continually  say  unto  me,  where  is  thy  God  ?     When 


No    Night    There.  133 

I  remember  these  things,  I  pour  out  my  soul  in  me. 
Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O,  my  soul?  and  why  art 
thou  disquieted  in  me  ?  O  !  my  God,  *  *  *  deep 
calleth  unto  deep,  at  the  noise  of  thy  water-spouts ; 
all  thy  waves  and  thy  billows  are  gone  over  me." 
Hear  another  of  God's  ancient  servants,  when  under 
similar  darkness  :  "  Even  to-day  is  my  complaint  bit- 
ter; my  stroke  is  heavier  than  my  groaning.  Oh! 
that  I  knew  where  I  might  find  Him  !  that  I  might 
come  even  to  His  seat.  I  would  order  my  cause 
before  Hnr,  and.  fill  my  mouth  with  arguments."  * 
*  "  *  Oh !  that  I  were  as  in  months  past,  as  in 
the  days  when  God  preserved  me  ;  when  His  candle 
shined  upon  my  head,  and  when,  by  His  light,  I 
walked  through  darkness."  Mourn  not  for  the  can- 
dle, thou,  suffering,  patient  one,  for  thou  shalt  soon 
be  where  they  need  no  sun.  Hear  one*  of  the 
sweetest  of  modern  poets,  who  had  learned  to  put 
his  trust  in  a  "  bleeding  Calvary :" 

"  The  billows  swell,  the  winds  are  high, 
Clouds  overcast  my  wintry  sky  ; 
Out  of  the  depths  to  thee  I  call ; 
My  fears  are  great,  my  strength  is  small. 
Amidst  the  roaring  of  the  sea, 
My  soul  still  hangs  her  hope  ou  thee  ; 
Thy  constant  love,  thy  faithful  care, 
Is  all  that  saves  me  from  despair." 

*  Cowper. 


134:  My  FATHER'S   House. 

"  My  soul,"  writes  Henry  Martyn,  on  one  occasion, 
"  was  filled  with  greater  misery,  and  horror  than 
I  ever  before  experienced.  I  know  not .  how  to 
describe  my  feelings,  or  how  I  got  into  them." 
Owing  to  a  morbid  temperament  of  body,  some 
Christians,  like  the  late  Edward  Payson,  of  Port- 
land, are  peculiarly  liable  to  periodical  paroxysms 
of  deep,  religious  depression ;  "  and  they  may  be 
said  to  have  their  compensation,  for  the  dark  and 
cloudy  day,  by  being  favoured  with  one  of  peculiar 
brightness  in  quick  succession.  If  their  gloom  was 
uninterrupted,  it  would  be  overwhelming,  but  after 
a  dark  night  rises  a  lovely  morning,  without  the 
shadow  of  a  cloud."  *  But  there  will  be  no  such 
nievht  in  our  Father's  House.  There  will  be  no 
east  wind — no  rough  wind — blowing  there  ;  no  mor- 
bid temperaments ;  no  disordered  nerves ;  no  imper- 
fect views  of  God's  truth ;  no  partial  holiness.  The 
uninterrupted,  unobscured  light  of  God's  counten- 
ance will  shine  upon  every  soul.  "  The  Lord  God 
giveth  them  light."  From  the  glory  collected  and 
concentrated  in  the  person  of  His  Son,  who  is  the 
brightness  of  His  glory,  the  Father  will  pour  a  flood 
of  light  over  the  happy  beings  who  are  admitted  to 
His  presence. 

There  is  a  better  inheritance  than  can  be  gained 
here ;  there  is  a  world,  the  grandeur,  the  lustre,  the 
*  Dr.  A.  Alexander's  Rel.  Exp.,  p.  52. 


No    Night    Tn  e  R  i: .  135 

riches  of  which  infinitely  excel  those  of  this  world. 
It  now  stands  open.  Christ  has  bled;  God  invites; 
and  many  are  passing  into  it.  There  is  another 
world  for  those  who  love  darkness  rather  than 
light,  in  which  there  shall  be  no  day.  Sad  fate ! 
to  sink  from  a  world  -like  this,  in  which  there  is 
so  much  gloom,  but  where  day  alternates  with 
night,  to  one  of  unrelieved  darkness,  on  which  no 
morning  shall  ever  dawn. 


136  M  v    F  A  T  1 1  B  B  -  8    II  o  n  s  e  . 


Yin. 

NO     TEMPLE    THEREIN. 

THE  redeemed  are  said  to  be  made  pillars  in  "  the 
temple  of  God ;"  and  to  serve  Hnr,  day  and 
night,  in  "His  temple.'1-  But  this  language  is 
figurative  ;  is  borrowed  from  an  order  of  things  with 
which  the  Jewish  mind  was  familiar — in  which  the 
Supreme  Being  manifested  Himself  only  in  con- 
nexion with  altars  and  temples  ;  and,  therefore,  it 
means  that  the  redeemed  shall  dwell  in  the  presence 
of  God,  and  behold  His  glory.  But  when  the  writer 
of  the  Apocalypse  says,  "  I  saw  no  temple  therein,"  f 
he  must  be  understood  as  speaking  literally,  and  as 
denying  that  there  will  be  any  such  visible  structure 
in  the  Xew  Jerusalem,  as  was  the  chief  ornament 
and  attraction  of  the  old.  Old  tiling-  shall  have 
passed  away  ;  not  only  the  sacrifices  and  oblations, 
which  belonged  to  the  tabernacle  and  temple  service, 
and  which  have  been  already  superceded  by  spiritual 

*Rev.  iii.  12  :  vii.  15.  t  Rev.  xxi.  22. 


No    T  i:  M  p  L  E    T  n  e  i:  e  i  n  .  137 

Christianity,  but  the  ordinances  of  the  Christian 
church,  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  their  end 
having  been  attained,  will  cease  for  ever.  Every 
worshipper  will  be  a  priest  unto  God ;  and  as  the 
Lord  God  and  the  Lamb  are  the  temple  of  heaven, 
and  are  everywhere  present,  throughout  the  vast 
extent  of  that  world,  every  place  will  be  to  him  what 
the  temple  was  of  old,  what  Christian  sanctuaries 
now  are  to  sincere  worshijypers — only,  there  shall  be 
no  hidden,  inner  sanctuary,  no  veil  between  Him  and 
them,  and  instead  of  trembling  faith,  perfect  vision  ; 
for  "  they  shall  see  His  face."* 

The  absence  of  a  temple,  of  rites,  of  ordinances,  is 
a  proof  that  these  concluding  chapters  of  the  Book  of 
Revelation,  which  describe  "  a  new  heaven  and  a 
new  earth,"  do  not  describe  the  state  of  the  church, 
during  the  latter  day  of  glory.  Never,  on  earth, 
will  Christians  attain  to  a  state  when  faith  shall  be 
unnecessary,  or  when  ordinances,  to  assist  the  weak- 
ness of  their  faith,  may  be  dispensed  with.  A  day 
of  brighter  glory  awaits  the  church  below,  when 
Satan  shall  not  be  permitted  to  deceive  the  nations  ; 
but  it  will  be  a  day  in  which  the  saints  shall  still  serve 
God  in  a  body  of  flesh  and  blood — a  day  of  the 
Spirit's  work  and  trophies,  in  renewing  and  sancti- 
fying the  hearts  of  men,  when  the  Sabbath  shall  be 
sanctified   and  public  worship   celebrated,  Baptism 

Rev.  xxii.  4. 


138  My   FATHER  'S   House. 

and  the  Lord's  Supper,  not  by  a  few  scattered  com- 
panies, but  by  entire  nations  of  men. 

The  absence  of  a  temple,  like  the  absence  of  the 
sea  and  of  night,  is  designed  to  impress  us  with  the 
total  dissimilarity  of  the  "Father's  House,*'  the 
eternal  home  of  the  saints,  to  the  place  in  which 
they  are  now  pilgrims  and  sojourners.  Sanctuaries, 
places  sacred  to  worship,  and  ordinances,  are  now 
indispensable.  While  there  may  be  much  supersti- 
tion, and  among  some  professed  Christians,  in  respect 
to  the  holiness  of  places  and  buildings— even  of  their 
very  brick  and  mortar— consecrated  to  religious  uses, 
there  is  a  manifest  propriety  in  withholding  our 
houses  of  worship  from  all  such  uses  as  may  tend  to 
beget  associations  of  a  worldly  or  trifling  character. 
The  worshippers  in  a  Christian  church  should  not 
only  feel  that  they  are  engaged  in  hallowed  work, 
but  that  they  are  in  a  hallowed  place.  Eeverence  is 
essential  to  the  spirit  of  devotion ;  but  reverence  is 
endangered  when  the  place  of  prayer  is  frequently 
perverted  to  the  use  of  worldly,  it  may  be,  gay  and 
trifling  assemblages.  "When  men  turn  from  the 
marts  of  business,  the  avenues  of  trade,  from  the 
fields  and  shops  where  they  toil,  or  from  their  own 
hearthstones,  where  they  are  often  weighed  down  by 
the  cares  of  life,  to  the  courts  of  the  Lord's  house,  let 
the  sacred  associations  of  the  place  appeal  to  their 
hearts,   awe   them   into   reverence,   if  they   do   not 


No     T  i:  M  P  L  E     T  I!  E  It  E  IX.  139 

awaken  the  spirit  of  devotion.  We  may  go  even 
further,  and  ask,  where  is  the  Christian,  however 
great  the  progress  he  may  have  made  in  divine 
knowledge  and  grace,  who  would  he  willing  to 
forego  the  privileges  of  public  worship?  who  is  not 
rather  ready  to  exclaim,  "  How  amiable  are  thy 
tabernacles,  O  Lord  of  hosts !  My  soul  longeth, 
yea,  even  fainteth  for  the  courts  of  the  Lord  :  my 
heart  and  my  flesh  crieth  out  for  the  living  God."" 

Never  does,  never  can  the  faith  of  Christians  become 
so  strong,  so  independent  of  its  appointed  helps,  as  to 
be  able  to  neglect  with  safety  public  ordinances. 
"We  may  well  stand  in  doubt  of  a  religion  which 
rejects  those  aids  which  God  himself  has  provided  ; 
we  may  well  suspect  a  holiness  which  professes  to 
have  outgrown  the  ordinances  of  Christ's  appoint- 
ment. It  is  sometimes  met  with,  but  soon  reveals  its 
counterfeit,  or  at  the  best,  fugitive,  character.  While 
we  are  present  in  the  body,  and  absent  from  the 
Lord,  the  sanctuary,  and  the  ordinances  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, are  perfectly  adapted  to  our  necessities,  and 
will  so  remain  to  whatever  state  of  holiness  men  may 
attain,  on  earth.  We  can  never  dispense  with  them, 
until  we  have  dropped  the  present  corruptible  body, 
and  are  clothed  upon  with  our  house  which  is  from 
heaven. 

Heaven  is  described  in  the  Apocalypse,  by  an 
*  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  l,  2. 


140  m  v   :•  a  Til  Kirs  Hoi  se. 

evident  reference  to  the  tabernacle  and  temple,  under 
the  Jewish  economy.  Let  ns  therefore  make  use  of 
this  reference,  in  our  attempts  to  form  right  concep- 
tions, on  this  subject.  "And  I  heard  a  great  voice 
out  of  heaven,  saying,  Behold  the  tabernacle  of  God 
is  with  men,  and  He  will  dwell  with  them."  * 

It  was  whilst  the  children  of  Israel  were  encamped 
before  Sinai,  that  God  gave  commandment  to  make 
him  a  Sanctuary,  that  He  might  dwell  among  them. 
Moses  received  a  pattern  of  it,  and  of  all  the  appen- 
dages and  instruments  appertaining  to  it,  in  the 
mount.  So  freely  did  the  people  contribute  gold, 
silver,  precious  stones,  blue,  purple,  scarlet  stuffs,  and 
fine  linen,  that  it  became  necessary  to  restrain  their 
liberality.  The  men,  who  were  appointed  to  the 
work,  after  labouring,  probably,  with  all  the  re- 
sources, and  skill,  known  to  Egyptian  art,  for  nearly 
a  year,  completed  it ;  and  it  was  set  up  by  Moses 
on  the  first  day  of  the  first  month  of  the  second 
year,  after  the  exodus.  "When  reared  up  "a  cloud 
covered  the  tent  of  the  congregation,  and  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  filled  the  tabernacle."  "  The  cloud  of 
the  Lord  was  upon  it  by  day,  and  fire  was  on  it  by 
night,  in  the  sight  of  all  the  house  of  Israel,  through- 
out all  their  journeys."  f  The  tabernacle  of  God 
was,  even  then,  with  men  ;  but  not  as  it  shall  be  in 
the  land  of  eternal  rest.  The  cloud  by  day,  and  the 
*  Rev.  xxi.  3.  f  Ex.  xl.  M,  38. 


No    T  e  m  r  l  e    Tkebbi  n  .  141 

lire  by  night,  was  a  perpetual  Theophany,  the  she- 
kinah,  by  which  the  Lord  revealed  himself  to  the 
senses  of  men,  under  the  former  dispensation.  The 
tabernacle  was  a  tent,  a  temporary  place  of  wor- 
ship, designed  for  the  use  of  the  Hebrews,  during  their 
journeyings.  But,  it  was  more  than  four  hundred 
and  eighty  years,  before  it  was  succeeded  by  the 
temple  which  Solomon  erected.  This  vast  structure, 
so  far  as  the  holy-place  and  the  holy  of  holies,  were 
concerned,  was  substantially  a  copy  of  the  taber- 
nacle. "Within  the  inner  court,  or  second  enclosed 
space,  stood  the  altar  of  burnt-offering.  The  holy- 
place  contained  the  altar  of  incense,  the  golden 
candlesticks,  and  the  table  of  shew-bread.  The 
holiest  of  all  contained  the  two  cherubim,  with 
expanded  wings;  and,  beneath  the  two  interior  wings 
the  original  ark  of  the  covenant  was  placed,  contain- 
ing still  the  two  tables  of  the  law,  but  without  the 
pot  of  manna,  and  Aaron's  rod,  which  had  already 
disappeared.  The  kingdom  of  God  in  Israel  had 
now  gained  a  firm  foundation;  no  other  essential 
change  had  occurred.  "When  the  temple  had  been 
consecrated,  the  cloud  filled  the  holy  of  holies,  and 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  house,  so  that  the 
priests  could  not  stand  to  minister. 

Until  the  erection  of  the  Temple,  the  people  of 
Israel  offered  their  sacrifices,  and  celebrated  public 
worship,  at  the  tabernacle.     It  was  the  place  of  the 


142  M  y    1   AT  JI  EB  'S    Hoi  s  B. 

shekinah,  the  habitation  of  the  Lord;  and,  therefore, 
it  was  the  only  place  where  sacrifices  could  be  law- 
fully  offered.  It  was  lawful  to  offer  sacrifices,  else- 
where, only  when  the  Lord  specially  appeared  to  an 
individual,  in  some  other  place;  and,  only  then, 
during  the  continuance  of  that  appearance.  Let  us 
look  now  at  the  significance  of  these  structures  ;  for, 
as  they  were  substantially  the  same,  one  being  but  an 
enlarged  copy  of  the  other,  their  significance  must  be 
the  same.  It  will  assist  us  to  understand  the  import 
of  the  Apostle's  language,  when  he  says,  "I  saw  not  a 
temple  in  it,"  that  is,  in  heaven.  Let  us  draw  nigh, 
and  with  the  Jewish  worshipper,  enter  the  enclosed 
space  which  surrounds  the  tabernacle,  called  its 
court ;  for  here  he  may  enter  and  approach  the  altar 
of  burnt-offering  which  stands  before  the  door  of  the 
tabernacle.  But  he  can  proceed  no  further;  he  may 
not  lift  the  gorgeous  and  richly  wrought  curtain, 
which  hangs  before  the  entrance,  and  enter  the 
sanctuary  or  holy-place.  He  may  not  approach  God 
in  this  direct  manner;  others,  ministers  whom  God 
himself  hath  appointed  and  consecrated, — priests, 
must  enter  that  holy-place  for  him,  and,  in  his  name 
and  behalf,  offer  gifts  and  supplications,  commune 
with  God,  and  receive  the  answers  to  his  prayers. 
But  there  is  still  an  inner  sanctuary,  a  holy  of  holies; 
and  into  this  the  ordinary  priest  may  never  enter. 
Here  the  high-priest  alone  may  enter;   and  he  but 


No    Tkmi'lk    Therein.  143 

once  every  year;  and  then  must  come  with  the 
blood  of  the  offering,  and  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  the 
incense  of  prayer.  On  the  great  day  of  atonement, 
the  most  important  and  solemn  of  all  the  Jewish 
festival  seasons,  this  entrance  into  the  holiest  of  all, 
was  made  by  the  high-priest.  This  admission,  once 
a  year,  of  one  individual  into  the  inner  sanctuary, 
taught  the  important  lesson  that  the  admission  of  the 
people  of  God,  into  the  immediate  presence  of  God, 
to  the  unveiled  vision  of  His  glory,  should  not  be  for 
ever  denied ; — taught  that  the  period  would  come 
when  tabernacles  and  temples  would  be  no  more, 
and  the  Lord  God  would  be  the  only  Temple  of  His 
worshippers. 

The  new  dispensation  has  already  effected  an 
important  change,  an  important  advance  in  respect 
to  the  privileges  of  God's  worshippers.  The  taber- 
nacle worshippers  could  approach  God  only  by  and 
through  a  priest  who  was  called  to  this  "  office  of 
God,  as  was  Aaron."  Christianity  has  for  ever  abol- 
ished all  human  proxies  and  priesthoods  in  God's 
service.  It  makes  all  the  functions  of  the  priestly 
office  to  centre  in  a  High  Priest  not  "  taken  from 
among  men,"  but  "  called  of  God,"  thus  "  Thotj  art 
my  Son,  to-day  have  I  begotten  Thee  !  Thou  art  a 
priest  for  ever,  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek."  He 
offered  His  own  blood  a  sacrifice  for  those  who  come 
unto  God  by  Him,   and  passed  into  the  heavens, 


144  M y   FATHER'S   U o u a  E  . 

where  he  "  continueth  ever,"  and  excrciseth  "  an 
unchangeable  priesthood"  (or,  as  the  margin  hath  it, 
"  which  passeth  not  from  one  to  another.)"  He  is  able 
to  save  all  those  for  whom  "  He  ever  liveth  to  make 
intercession."  "For  such  a  High  Priest  became  us 
who  is  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  separate  from  sin- 
ners, and  made  higher  than  the  heavens ;  who 
needeth  not  daily,  as  those  high  priests,  to  offer  up 
sacrifice  first  for  His  own  sins,  and  then  for  the 
people's ;  for  this  He  did  once  when  He  offered  up 
Himself."  "  We  have  such  a  High  Priest,  who  is 
set  on  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  the  Majesty  in 
the  heavens ;  a  minister  of  the  sanctuary  and  of  the 
true  tabernacle,  which  the  Lord  pitched,  and  not 
man."  "  He  is  the  Mediator  of  a  better  covenant 
(than  the  first),  which  was  established  upon  better 
promises."  He  has  "  not  entered  into  the  holy 
places  made  with  hands,  but  into  heaven  itself  now 
to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us."*  All 
human  mediators  are  for  ever  put  aside ;  all  bloody 
offerings  or  sacrifices  abolished ;  all  distinction 
between  priest  and  people  in  respect  to  approaching 
in  their  individual  character,  as  the  worshippers  of 
God,  effaced.  As  Christ  has  a  visible  Church  on 
earth,  he  has  appointed  the  Christian  Ministry,  and 
instituted  ordinances  and  offices  therein,  to  be  per- 
petuated to  the  end  of  the  militant  state.  But  there 
*  Vid.  Hebrews  W.,  v.,  vii..  viii.,  ix. 


No    Temple    Therein.  145 

are  no  more  priests  among  men.  Ministers  and 
people,  in  their  approach  unto  God,  must  stand  on 
the  same  footing ;  one  can  no  longer  be  the  proxy 
of  another ;  each  one,  for  himself,  must  approach  the 
mercy  seat,  through  the  atonement  and  intercession 
of  the  great  High  Priest,  •who  hath  passed  into  the 
heavens,  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us. 
The  court  of  the  tabernacle  or  temple  to  which, 
under  the  Old  Testament,  the  people  were  confined, 
has  been  transformed  into  a  "  holy  place."  The  cur- 
tain which  no  one,  who  was  not  a  priest,  would  have 
dared  to  raise,  has  been  rent  in  twain ;  priest  and 
people,  all  through  the  one  great  Sacrifice,  have  com- 
mon access  to  that  sacred  enclosure.  All  alike,  who 
enter  there,  are  priests  unto  God,  and  may  come 
boldly  to  that  mercy  seat,  above  which  stand  the 
cherubim  with  spreading  "wings,  gazing'  in  secret 
amazement  on  the  awful  mystery  at  their  feet,*  and 
obtain  mercy  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of 
need. 

And  this,  that  Christianity  has  done,  is  an  earnest 
of  greater  things,  which  it  reveals,  respecting  the 
future,  when  believers  in  Christ  shall  have  dropped 
corruption,  and  been  made  both  kings  and  priests 
unto  God.  Then  the  distinction  which  continues  to 
exist  between  the  holy  place  and  the  holiest  of  all 
will  be  abolished  for  ever;  the  second  veil  which 

*  1  Pet.  i.  12. 

7 


146  My    FATHER'S    House. 

hides  the  inner  sanctuary  will  be  removed,  and  both 
the  court  and  the  holy  place  be  included  in  the  most 
holy.  The  holy  of  holies  will  then  be  the  Father's 
house,  with  its  many  mansions ;  it  will  encircle  the 
whole  camp  of  Israel ;  nay,  it  shall  grow  into  a 
great,  enduring  "house,"  not  like  the  temple  of 
Solomon,  confined  to  a  single  hill  in  Jerusalem,  but 
more  like  that  which  Ezekiel  saw  when  he  was 
brought,  "in  the  visions  of  God,"  into  the  land  of 
Israel,  too  extensive  for  the  mountain  of  the  temple 
to  contain  it,  from  the  threshold  of  which  waters 
issued  forth,  which  increased  as  they  flowed,  until 
they  became  waters  to  swim  in — a  river  that  could  not 
be  passed  over — on  whose  banks  grew  unfading  trees, 
yielding  fruit  every  month — waters  which  reached  and 
sweetened  even  the  dead  sea  of  man's  depravity,  and 
diffused  life  wherever  they  flowed.*  It  is  no  longer  a 
temple ;  its  very  vastness,  no  less  than  its  lack  of  rites 
and  ordinances,  has  deprived  it  of  that  character. 
That  which  was  a  tabernacle  in  the  wilderness — which 
was  a  temple  in  Jerusalem — which  is  a  Christian 
sanctuary  wherever  sincere  worshippers  are  assem- 
bled— has  grown  into  a  strong  city,  having  the  glory 
of  God — a  light  like  unto  a  stone  most  precious — a 
jasper  stone,  clear  as  crystal.  All  manner  of  precious 
stones  garnish  its  walls.  It  has  twelve  gates,  each 
a  separate  Pearl.     An  angel  stands  at  each  gate,  and 

*  Ez.  xl.-lxviii. 


No    Temple    Therein.  147 

on  them  are  inscribed  the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes. 
On  its  twelve  foundations  are  inscribed  the  names  of 
the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb.  The  street  of  the 
city  is  pure  gold,  like  transparent  glass.  "  And  I 
saw  no  temple  therein  ;  for  the  Lord  God  Almighty 
and  the  Lamb  are  the  temple  of  it."  Not  only  does 
the  temple  disappear,  but  even  the  figure  of  the  tem- 
ple, which  this  inspired  seer  had  before  applied  to 
heaven,  is  dropped,  as  no  longer  appropriate  to  the 
consummated  state  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 
waters  which,  seemed,  in  Ezekiel's  vision,  to  spring 
from  beneath  the  threshold  of  the  temple,  have 
become  "  a  pure  river  of  water  of  life,  clear  as  crys- 
tal, proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and  the 
Lamb.  In  the  midst  of  the  street  of  it,  and  on 
either  side  of  the  river,  is  the  Tree  of  Life,  which 
bears  twelve  manner  of  fruits,  and  yields  her  fruit 
every  month ;  and  the  leaves  of  the  tree  are  for  the 
healing  of  the  nations.  And  there  shall  be  no  more 
curse :  but  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  shall 
be  in  it ;  and  His  servants  shall  serve  Him  ;  and  they 
shall  see  His  face,  and  His  name  shall  be  in  their 
foreheads."  Tiiet  shall  see  His  face.  Faith, 
feeble  at  the  best,  and  often  wavering,  shall  be 
turned  into  perfect,  unobstructed  sight.  It  is  this 
vision  which  will  constitute  the  bliss  of  heaven,  the 
fulfillment  of  what  was  prefigured,  by  the  entrance, 
once  a  year,  of  the  Jewish  High  Priest  into  the  holy 


148  M  t    FATHER'S    House. 

of  holies,  to  appear  before  the  mercy-seat,  there  to 
commune  with  God,  from  between  the  golden  cheru- 
bim. The  tabernacle  of  God  will  still  be  with 
redeemed  sinners  in  the  sense  that  they  shall  see 
Jesus  as  He  is,  in  His  glorified  humanity,  and. 
through  our  nature,  which  Hi:  wears,  enjoy  com- 
munion with  Him  for  ever.  This  glorified  human- 
ity will  be  the  tent  or  tabernacle,  in  which  His 
divinity  will  dwell,  and  from  which  it  will  shine 
forth  with  a  lustre  which  will  fill  all  His  saints  with 
ineffable  delight,  but  upon  which  no  mortal  could 
look  and  live.  ■  But  here  let  us  pause. 

Are  we  not,  let  it  be  asked,  impressively  reminded 
of  the  nature  of  true  religion,  and  of  acceptable 
worship  ? 

Multitudes,  it  is  to  be  feared,  are  attempting  to 
incorporate  the  spirit  of  the  old  covenant  into  the 
new.  Thus  we  find  those  who  offer  themselves  to  be 
the  priests  of  their  fellow  men,  their  mediators  with 
God — who  offer  their  services  for  money — and,  alas  ! 
too  many  who  appear  to  be  willing  to  accept  these 
services ;  who  hand  over  the  keeping  of  their  souls, 
and  the  work  of  prayer  to  their  fellow  men,  and 
expect,  with  the  gift  of  money,  to  purchase  indul- 
gences or  the  pardon  of  their  sins,  through  the  prayers 
of  these  men.  They  arc  worshipping  at  a  tabernacle 
which  men  have  pitched,  and  not  the  Lord.  The  gate 
of  the  sanctuary  which  Christ  opened,  rending  the 


No    Temple    Therein.  149 

veil  which,  concealed  its  mysteries,  so  that  the  people, 
as  well  as  the  priests,  might  enter  and  approach  the 
altar  of  incense,  and  offer  up  their  own  supplications 
to  God,  they  have  shut  up  again.  They  say  to 
the  people,  "  stand  back ;  come  not  into  the  holy 
place  ;  stand  back ;  we  are  holier  than  you ;  give 
us  money,  and  we  will  go  in  and  supplicate  for  you. " 
And,  alas!  too  many,  thinking,  perhaps,  to  escape 
from  a  mighty  care,  appear  to  be  willing  to  hand 
over  the  business  which  lies  between  their  souls  and 
God,  to  these  pretenders,  falsely  called  priests. 
O,  that  men  might  learn  that  under  the  new  cove- 
nant or  testament,  there  are  no  human  mediators, 
no  priests,  except  the  one  great  High  Priest,  who 
has  entered,  once  for  all,  into  the  holy  of  holies,  and 
appeared  before  God,  where  He  ever  liveth  to  make 
intercession !  O,  that  they  might  know  that,  through 
the  altar  of  an  infinite  sacrifice — 'the  cross  of  Christ, 
standing  "  without  the  gate,"  * — they  have  the  same 
right  to  enter  the  holy  place,  and  commune  with  God, 
as  those  who  claim  to  possess  a  priestly  character. 
Perish  the  hand  that  would  exclude  them ;  grow 
dumb  the  voice  that  would  bid  them  stand  afar  off. 

Let  us  learn,  too,  that  acceptable  worship  consists 
not  in  outward  pomp  and  display,  or  in  imposing 
external  forms.  What  multitudes,  it  is  to  be  feared, 
who  gather  in  cathedrals  and  churches,  in  which  the 

Heb.  xiii.  12. 


150  My    FATHER'S    House. 

fine  arts  have  been  employed  to  collect  and  parade 
whatever  can  make  a  powerful  appeal  to  the  senses, 
there  are,  who  utterly  fail  to  look  "beyond  these 
gorgeous  decorations,  and  pay  their  homage  to  a 
God  whom  the  highest  heavens  can  not  contain. 
They  may  be  awed  as  they  stand  beneath  the  lofty 
arches,  in  the  "  dim  religious  light,"  that  steals 
through  the  ornamented  panes ;  but  the  very  objects 
which  surround  them,  the  statuary,  the  frescoes,  are 
so  many  obstructions  in  the  way  of  their  approach  to 
that  Great  Being,  who,  to  be  worshipped  acceptably, 
must  be  worshipped  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  The 
Jewish  economy  was  distinguished  for  its  forms,  and 
those  external  appendages  which  were  designed  to 
appeal  to  the  senses,  at  a  time  when  the  light  of 
revelation  shone,  as  through  a  glass,  very  dimly. 
But  when  Christ,  the  true  light  came,  He  introduced 
a  more  spiritual  economy ;  He  gave  the  world  clearer 
instructions  than  it  had  received  before  ;  and  having 
fulfilled  the  law  and  the  prophets,  especially  having 
made  the  one  offering  of  Himself  for  sin,  the  Mosaic 
ritual  ceased.  Having  waxed  old  it  vanished  away. 
The  temple  was  no  longer  needed.  The  Lord  Him- 
self, not  in  the  symbol  of.  a  cloud,  as  in  the  temple 
of  Solomon,  but  in  the  person  of  the  God-man,  Jesus 
Christ,  filled  it  with  His  glory ;  and  then  it  passed 
away,  not  one  stone  being  left  upon  another,  and 
never  to  be  restored.     All  structures,  of  similar  pre- 


No    Temple    Therein.  151 

tensions,  although  they  may  be  baptized  with  the 
name  of  Christian,  are  in  violation  of  that  simple, 
and  spiritual  system,  which  distinguishes  the  present 
from  the  former  economy ;  and  which  has  its  consum- 
mation in  that  eternal  world  of  which  John  said, 
"And  I  saw  no  temple  therein."  Let  us  build 
houses  of  worship ;  let  them  be  substantial,  commo- 
dious, inviting;  but  "far  rather  would  I  find,"  as  has 
been  nobly  said,  "  in  the  simplicity  of  the  place  of 
worshi|3,  a  confession  of  its  inadequacy  to  lead  the 
mind  up  to  God,  than  to  find  any  beauty  of  architec- 
ture, or  any  gorgeousness  of  decoration  that  would 
lead  me  to  admire  the  work  of  man,  and  draw  the 
mind  from  God."  * 

"What  most  we  need,  as  worshippers,  is  the  mani- 
fested presence — as  real  as  when  of  old  the  cloud  so 
filled  the  house  that  the  priests  could  not  stand  to 
minister — of  that  Great  Being  whom  we  profess  to 
make  the  object  of  our  homage.  Rather  would  I  wor- 
ship in  the  humblest  cabin  with  slaves,  if  the  pre- 
sence of  the  Lord  were  there,  with  Paul  in  the  upper 
chamber  of  a  private  dwelling,  or  with  prisoners  in  a 
dungeon,  who  make  the  grim  walls  re-echo  to  their 
praises,  as  did  two  Apostles  of  old,  than  beneath 
fretted  domes,  where  incense  ascends  in  fragrant 
clouds,  but  where  God,  by  the  renewing  and  sancti- 
fying influences  of  His  Holy  Spirit,  is  never  known. 
*Pres.  Hopkins. 


152  Mr  FATHER'S   House, 


IX. 

SEEING    GOD. 

AMONG  the  strongest  expressions,  employed  in 
the  Scriptures,  to  describe  the  blessedness  of 
heaven,  are  those  which  refer  to  God's  presence,  or 
speak  of  its  inhabitants  as  enjoying  the  vision  of  His 
face.  "When  our  Lord  declares  that  the  pure  in  heart 
shall  see  God — when  the  apostle  John  declares  that 
believers  shall  see  Christ,  at  His  appearing,  that  they 
shall  see  the  face  of  God  and  the  Lamb,  they  refer  to 
the  same  thing, — to  this  blessed  and  glorious  vision 
of  God's  face  in  heaven.* 

"We  are  not  to  suppose  that  there  is  any  objective 
or  sensible  glory,  which  belongs  to  the  being  of  God. 
He  is  a  pure  Spirit.  We  are  forbidden  to  form,  even 
"inwardly  in  our  mind,"  any  likeness  or  image  of 
God.  There  is  nothing,  beneath  or  above,  that  is 
like  Him.  But  a  visible  glory  was  often  shown  to 
men,  in  a  former  age,  and  under  another  dispen- 

*  Rev.  xxii.  4  ;    1  John  iii.  2  ;    Matt.  v.  8. 


Seeing    God.  153 

Ji 

sation.  Such  Theophanies  wore  vouchsafed  to  the 
patriarchs,  rulers,  and  priests, — nay,  to  the  whole 
nation  of  Israel.  They  serve  to  teach  us  that  seeing 
God  is  language  which  implies  his  peculiar  presence, 
and  such  knowledge  of  Him  as  we  never  can  have,  in 
the  present  imperfect  state.  Jehovah  appeared  unto 
Abraham,  in  the  plains  of  Mamre.*  Jacob,  when 
he  slept  at  Bethel,  on  his  solitary  journey  to  Mesopo- 
tamia, had  a  vision  of  a  "  ladder  set  up  on  the  earth, 
and  the  top  of  it  reached  to  heaven ;  and  behold  the 
angels  of  God,  ascending  and  descending  upon  it. 
And  behold  the  Lord  stood  above  it,  and  said,  I  am 
the  Lord  God  of  Abraham,  thy  father,  and  the  God 
of  Isaac.  *  *  *  *  *  And  Jacob  awaked  out 
of  his  sleep,  and  he  said,  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this 
place,  and  I  knew  it  not.  And  he  was  afraid  and 
said,  How  dreadful  is  this  place  !  this  is  none  other 
but  the  house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven."f 
It  is  said  he  was  afraid  ;  but  we  are  not  to  suppose 
that  it  was  a  base,  slavish  terror,  that  seized  his 
mind.  He  stood  awed,  and  felt  his  own  littleness, 
in  that  august  Presence.  When  he  awaked,  and  the 
vision  had  passed  away,  he  saw  no  ladder,  no  angels, 
no  symbol  of  a  higher  presence.  He  looked  up  at 
the  stars,  or  at  the  clouds  which  curtained  them  from 
his  view,  but  never  had  the  darkness  been  more 
sublime.  He  needed  no  dazzling  throne  to  make 
*  Gen.  xviii.  1.        t  Gen.  xxviii.  10-19. 

7* 


15i  My    FATHER'S    House. 

» 

him  feel  that  God  was  there.  He  felt  that  this  dark- 
ness was  His  secret  place,  and  the  "  thick  clouds  of 
the  skies,"  "His  pavilion  round  about  Him."*  His 
exclamation,  "This  is  none  other  hut  the  house  of 
God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven  !"  proves  that, 
mingled  with  his  emotions  of  awe,  were  those  of 
pleasing  rapture.  He  had  never  been  so  near 
heaven — he  had  never  been  in  such  company 
before  ;  he  stood,  as  it  were,  at  the  very  portal  of 
that  blessed  world.  When  God  called  Moses  from 
those  pastoral  pursuits,  in  which  he  had  been 
engaged  for  forty  years,  in  the  solitudes  of  the 
peninsula  of  Sinai,  to  send  him  back  to  Egypt  as  the 
deliverer  of  his  oppressed  brethren,  He  "  appeared  to 
him  in  a  flame  of  fire,  out  of  the  midst  of  a  bush." 
The  burning  bramble  was  an  image  of  His  enslaved, 
suffering  people  ;  the  tire,  of  His  consuming,  purify- 
ing holiness.  The  bush  burns,  but  is  not  consumed  ; 
the  people  of  His  covenant  would  be  purified,  by 
their  trials,  but  could  not  be  destroyed.  "When  the 
Lord  saw  that  His  astonished  servant  turned  aside  to 
gaze  upon  this  great  sight,  He  called  and  said, 
"  Draw  not  nigh  hither,  put  off  thy  shoes  from  off 
thy  feet;  for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy 
ground.  "••  ::'  ::"  And  Moses  hid  his  face;  for  he 
was  afraid  to  look  upon  God."f  He  was  a  creature, 
he  was  in  the  flesh  ;  and  it  was  not  permitted  him  to 

*  Ps.  xviii.  11.        f  Ex.  iii.  2-G. 


Seeing    God.  155 

draw  any  nearer,  to  subject  to  a  closer  examination 
this  sensible  manifestation  of  Deity.  It  made  the 
very  ground  holy.  It  was  on  this  spot,  or  near  this 
very  spot,  that,  at  a  subsequent  period  in  his  history, 
he  was  to  hold  high  and  sacred  converse  with 
Jehovah  as  the  Law-giver  of  His  people  Israel,  and  of 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  When  the  covenant- 
people  took  their  departure,  under  his  leadership, 
from  the  land  of  oppression,  lo !  another  marvellous 
sight,  a  miracle  which  ceased  not,  during  their  wan- 
derings of  forty  years  in  the  wilderness.  It  is  a 
pillar  of  cloud  before  them,  pointing  out  their  way, 
advancing  when  they  are  to  inarch,  and  stationary 
where  they  are  to  encamp.  As  evening  comes  on  and 
the  light  of  day  fades,  that  cloud  grows  luminous, 
brightens  as  the  darkness  increases,  until  it  glistens, 
a  pillar  of  fire,  at  the  head  of  the  advancing  columns, 
or  sheds  its  friendly  illumination  over  the  reposing 
encampment.  "When  the  tabernacle  had  been  set  up 
in  the  wilderness,  a  cloud,  the  symbol  of  Jehovah's 
presence,  descended  between  the  wings  of  the  cheru- 
bim, above  the  mercy-seat.  There  it  remained  a 
perpetual  Theophany ;  it  never  departed  during  the 
long  period  that  passed,  before  the  temple  was  built. 
When  that  great  structure  was  completed,  and  the 
ark  of  the  Lord  was  borne  to  its  place,  in  the  oracle 
of  the  house,  the  shekinah  went  with  it,  and  never 
disappeared  from  between  the  cherubim,  until    the 


156  Mi    FATHER'S    House. 

destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  temple,  by  the  king 
of  Babylon.  It  was  this  'symbol  which  made  the 
inner  apartment  of  the  tabernacle,  and  the  oracle  of 
Solomon's  temple,  the  holy  of  holies.  The  annual 
admission  of  the  high-priest  to  this  sacred  enclosure, 
while  it  clearly  pointed  to  the  imperfect  character  of 
man's  communion  with  God,  in  the  present  state, 
also  pointed,  as  shown  before,  to  a  nearer  approach 
unto  God  in  the  world  to  come,  and  to  the  unveiled 
vision  of  His  glory. 

God  is  present  everywhere.      There  are  no  soli- 
tudes in  this  universe.     ISTo  man  can  ever  be  alone. 

'•  Take  the  wings 
Of  morning,  and  the  Barcan  desert  pierce, 
Or  lose  thyself  in  the  continuous  woods 
Where  rolls  the  Oregon,  and  hears  no  sound 
Save  his  own  dashings — "* 

yet,  the  Lord  is  there  ;  "  in  the  void  waste  as  in  the 
city  full."  But  He  is,  in  a  peculiar  sense,  nigh  unto 
them  that  fear  Him,  in  their  afflictions,  temptations, 
and  when  called  to  pass  through  the*  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death.  Sometimes  He  makes  a  special 
manifestation  of  His  presence  and  nearness,  so  that 
although  they  see  no  cloud,  no  fire,  no  sensible  glory, 
they  feel  that  the  ground  oh  which  they  stand  is 
holy,  or  lies  near  the  very  threshold  of  heaven.  Other 
saints,  besides  the  patriarch  Jacob,  have  had  their 
*  Bryant. 


Seeing    God.  157 

Bethels — have  known  seasons  when  they  have  been 
visited  with  a  joyful,  and  perhaps  almost  overwhelm- 
ing sense  of  God's  presence,  and  goodness.  There 
was  an  era  in  Job's  experience  when  he  could  say, 
'•I  have  heard  of  Thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear; 
but  now  mine  eye  seeth  Thee."*  The  psalms  of 
David  abound  in  expressions  and  exclamations  which 
show  a  deep  and  affecting  sense  of  the  majesty, 
glory,  and  condescension  of  God,  and  of  the  sweet 
singer's  delight  in  Hm.  Hear  the  astonished  Peter, 
when  he  fell  down  at  Jesns's  knees,  crying  out, 
"  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord  ! "  f 
Hear  the  believing  Thomas :  "  My  Lord  and  my 
God."}  Hear  the  noble  Paul :  "Oh!  the  depth  of 
the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of 
God !  how  unsearchable  are  His  judgments,  and  His 
ways  past  finding  out!"§  Hear  the  loving  and 
beloved  John :  "  Behold  what  manner  of  love  the 
Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us  that  we  should  be 
called,  the  sons  of  God."  |  In  the  published  memoirs 
of  godly  men,  it  is  a  marked  characteristic,  that 
often  in  their  closets,  they  seem  to  have  been  over- 
shadowed as  with  the  presence  of  the  Highest. 
They  have  the  most  humbling  views  of  themselves — 
a  most  lively  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — a  most 
tender  compassion  for  perishing  souls — a  most  ardent 

*  Job  slii.  5.  f  Luke  v.  8.  $  John  xx.  28.  §  Rom.  xi.  33. 

||  1  John  iii.  1. 


158  My    FATHER'S    House. 

affection  for  all  true  Christians,  by  whatever  name 
called — a  most  affecting  view  of  the  vanity  of  the 
world,  and  solemnn  sense  of  the  nearness  and  impor- 
tance of  eternity.  It  was  an  experience  like  this 
that  led  an  eminent  minister*  of  the  times  of  the 
Reformation  in  Scotland  to  cry  out :  "  Lord,  stay 
thy  hand ;  thy  servant  is  a  clay  vessel,  and  can  hold 
no  more ; "  which  touched,  as  with  hallowed  fire,  the 
lips  of  holy  Rutherford  and  Leigh  ton ;  which  ani- 
mated Brainerd  and  Martyn  with  a  zeal  which 
expired  only  with  life,  and  which  consumed  them  in 
the  vigour  of  their  youth  ;  which  prompted  a  devoted 
missionary f  of  our  day  to  write:  "Oh!  that  this 
Sabbath  might  not  end !  I  feel  a  sweetness  and 
tranquillity  as  if  I  were  not  far  from  the  gates  of 
heaven  ;"  it  gave  to  Edward  Payson  such  '-songs  in 
the  night,"  that  he  sometimes  appeared  more  like  an 
angel,  circling  in  the  radiance  of  the  throne,  than  a 
poor  mortal,  the  earthly  house  of  whose  tabernacle 
remained  yet  undissolved.  The  same  powerful  pre- 
sence of  God  is  sometimes  felt  in  our  places  of  public 
worship.  And,  then,  with  what  convincing  power 
does  the  truth  of  God  come  home  to  the  hearts  of 
men !  The  unbelieving  are  pierced  to  the  heart,  and 
cry  out,  "What  shall  we  do?"  and  Christians 
exclaim,  "  How  good  it  is  to  be  here  !     How  dear 

*  Rev.  John  Welch. 

t  Rev.  John  Macdonald,  late  Missionary  of  the  Free  Church  of 
Scotland,  Calcutta. 


Seeing   God.  159 

are  thy  dwellings,  O  Lord  of  hosts!"  There  may  be 
no  cloud,  such  as  rilled  the  temple  of  old,*  before 
which  the  priests  could  not  stand  to  minister;  there 
may  be  no  visible  tire,  no  noise  as  of  a  mighty  rush- 
ing wind.  ;i-  on  the  day  of  Pentecost ;  but  the  Spirit 
of  God  fills  the  place  where  the  worshippers  are 
sitting. 

On  a  Monday  morning,  a  few  years  ago,  an  elder 
of  the  church,  one  of  those  men  whose  lives  adorn 
the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour,  and  who  thus 
become  living  epistles,  known  and  read  of  all  men, 
addressed  a  letter  to  the  author,  a  portion  of  which 
is  subjoined.  I  would  merely  premise  that  the  writer 
had  long  been  in  infirm  health,  by  which  he  was 
almost  entirely  cut  off  from  the  privileges  of  public 
worship ;  and  that  he  had  enjoyed  only  the  most 
limited  advantages  of  education  in  youth ;  it  will, 
however,  be  observed — proving  that  grace  refines 
the  intellect  as  it  renews,  and  sanctifies  the  heart — ■ 
that  there  is  a  tenderness,  a  sweetness,  as  well  as  a 
simplicity,  in  his  expressions,  which  may  well  remind 
us  of  some  of  the  letters  of  Leighton :  "  "When  I 
awoke,  on  Sabbath  morning,  my  thoughts  were 
directed  to  Christ  as  an  all-sufficient  Saviour.  I 
thought  of  Moses  smiting  the  rock  in  Horeb  to  sup- 
ply the  famishing  Israelites.  So  Christ,  our  Rock, 
was  smitten  to   supply  the  wants   of   a  perishing 

*  1  Kings,  viii.  10,  11. 


160  My    FATHER'S    House. 

world ;  and,  in  meditating  on  Him  in  this  light,  I 
became  deeply  affected ;  my  heart  became  melted 
into  tenderness  ;  my  tears  flowed  so  freely  that  I 
actually  wet  my  conch  with  them.  And  this  happy 
influence  continued  with  me  more  or  less  through 
the  day.  Before  I  rose  from  my  bed,  my  heart  was 
drawn  out  in  prayer  that  He  would  be  with  me 
through  the  day — that  He  would  be  present  in  the 
house  of  worship,  and  fill  it  with  His  glory — that 
every  heart  might  be  affected  by  the  word  preached  ; 
and  also,  that  you  might  be  divinely  assisted  in 
preaching  the  Word.  [The  solemnity  and  visible 
emotion  on  that  day  were  very  marked,  and  are 
probably  remembered,  by  more  than  one.]  When 
I  came  to  perform  family  worship,  it  was  with  much 
difficulty  that  I  could  command  my  feelings,  so  as  to 
get  through  with  the  duty.  After  my  family  had 
gone  to  church,  I  read  the  one  hundred  and  nine- 
teenth psalm ;  and  I  think  I  could  adopt  much  of 
the  language  as  my  own.  While  reading,  my  eyes 
were  often  blinded  with  tears.  It  really  apj:>eared 
that  my  heart  was  dissolved  in  tenderness.  I  spent 
most  of  the  time  while  my  family  were  at  church  in 
prayer.  God  appeared  so  near  to  me  that  I  could 
not  do  much  else  hut  pray.  The  same  objects  for 
which  I  prayed  in  the  morning  Beemed  to  fill  my 
mind  ;  and  especially  that  a  divine  influence  might 
fill  the  house  of  God.     I  could  tell  you  much  more ; 


Seeing    God.  161 

but  my  pains  admonish  me  that  I  must  bring  my 
letter  to  a  close.  Oh !  my  clear  brother,  is  it  not 
wonderful  that  God  thus  condescends  to  visit  his 
creatures  ?  And  if  a  small  ray  of  heavenly  light,  let 
into  our  souls,  affords  us  so  much  happiness,  what 
will  it  be  when  we  behold  the  Sun  in  His  glory  ? 
Oh !  sir,  sometimes,  when  I  think  of  these  things,  and 
of  my  dear  friends  who  are  now  enjoying  it  all,  and 
then  of  my  own  condition,  I  must  confess  it  makes 
me  feel  a  little  home-sick?*  Has  not  many  a  Chris- 
tian, under  the  dispensation  of  the  Spirit,  although 
apart  from  all  miraculous  appearances  and  signs, 
enjoyed  just  as  high  a  privilege,  to  say  the  least,  as 
was  granted  to  Jacob  at  Bethel,  and  to  Moses  at 
Horeb  ? 

Yes ;  we  may  well  ask,  "  if  a  small  ray  of  heavenly 
light  let  into  our  souls,  affords  us  so  much  happiness, 
what  will  it  be  when  we  behold  the  Sun  in  His 
glory?" 

"  If  such  the  sweetness  of  the  streams. 
What  must  the  fountain  be  ?" 

"What  must  it  be  to  enjoy  those  spiritual  manifes- 
tations of  Deity,  which  will  be  addressed  to  the 
enlarged,  the  immortal  faculties  of  saints  in  heaven? 
Ah !  it  may  suit  our  present  attainments  in  grace  and 
knowledge,  to  think  how  much  happiness  we  shall 
*  Letter  of  Mr.  A D ,  March  14,  1849. 


162  M  v    FAT  II  ER'S    House. 

derive  from  being  reunited  in  heaven  to  dear  friends, 
to  a  parent,  a  child,  a  brother,  a  sister,  to  a  husband 
or  a  wife,  whom,  perhaps,  we  followed,  many  weary 
years  ago,  with  bursting  hearts,  to  the  grave.  But 
if  we  ever  reach  that  world,  the  happiness  of  being 
restored  to  dear  friends, — the  happiness  of  the  father 
in  clasping  the  son,  on  whom  he  thought  to  lean  in 
old  age  ;  of  the  mother,  in  gathering  to  her  bosom 
the  babes  which  the  remorseless  grave  wrested  from 
her  embrace  ;  of  the  brother,  whose  quick  eye  was 
the  first  to  mark  the  hectic  brighten  on  the  cheek 
of  a  gentle  sister,  ere  it  turned  to  ashy  paleness, 
when  he  looks  npon  the  angelic  beauty  of  her 
glorified  form — this  happiness.  I  say,  will  be  as 
nothing  in  comparison  with  the  delight  of  being 
in  the  presence  of  God  and  the  Lamb,  and  seeing 
His  face.  "  And  I  saw  no  temple  therein  ;  for  the 
Lord  God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb  are  the  temple  of 
it  And  the  city  had  no  need  of  the  sim,  neither  of 
the  moon,  to  shine  in  it ;  for  the  glory  of  God  did 
lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof."  As 
the  light  of  onr  material  sun  diffuses  itself  over  our 
earth,  fills  our  atmosphere  with  his  beams,  so  the 
presence  and  glory  of  God  will  fill  heaven ;  and  the 
nations  of  them  that  are  saved  shall  walk  and  rejoice- 
in  the  light  of  it,  "  Knowledge  will  be  infused  into 
the  mind  without  the  operose  process  of  instruction 
and  inquiry.     Here,  our  views  are  limited  ;  and  we 


Seeing    God.  163 

see  only  tlie  skirts  of  His  glory  ;  there,  the  revelation 
will  be  as  ample  as  our  finite  faculties  will  permit. 
What  the  saints  already  know  will  shine  with  new 
light,  and  present  itself  to  their  minds  with  an  evi- 
dence and  satisfaction  which  they  never  formerly 
experienced;  and  many  things  will  be  disclosed  to 
them  which  it  had  not  entered  into  their  hearts  to 
conceive ;  mysteries  will  be  explained,  difficulties 
will  be  solved,  and  excellencies  will  rise  to  view,  in 
the  Divine  nature,  of  which  no  vestige  was  discover- 
able in  His  works.  How  glorious  will  He  appear 
when  every  veil  is  removed,  and  He  is  contemplated 
in  the  fullness  of  His  attributes !  The  sight  will  be 
transporting,  and  will  excite  the  highest  admiration 
and  joy."* 

The  purely  spiritual  glory  of  God  in  heaven  is,  no 
doubt,  that,  which  excelleth  ;  it  more  immediately 
radiates  from  Him,  as  a  Spirit,  and  belongs  to  His 
nature  and  image.  Its  perfect  manifestation  is  the 
unveiled  vision  of  His  face,  and  must  afford  the 
highest  bliss  to  the  spiritual  nature  of  creatures,  in 
the  highest  state  of  advancement ;  it  satisfies  its  long- 
ings ;  it  bows  reverently  before  the  vastness  which  is 
set  before  it ;  it  asks  no  more.  It  would  be  the 
height  of  rashness,  if  not  sacrilegious,  to  attempt  to 
describe  this  glory  ;  it  has  not,  and  can  not  enter  into 
the  heart  of  man  to  conceive  of  it      And  there  are 

Dr.  John  Dick,  Lect.  LXIII. 


104  My  FATHER'S   House. 

words  which  are  unspeakable,  and  things  which  are 
unbearable  and  unbearable ;  even  as  there  are  things 
which  are  inconceivable,  by  men.  Ah !  how  can  we, 
who  are  of  the  earth,  comprehend  the  pure,  spiritual 
glory  of  the  Godhead?  God  has  proclaimed  His 
Name  in  His  word,  and  in  His  works  demonstrated 
the  glorious  attributes  of  His  character,  but  still  how 
little  we  know  of  Him  !  how  feeble  and  imperfect  are 
our  conceptions  not  only  of  His  character  as  a  whole, 
but  of  any  one  of  its  individual  attributes !  How 
vain,  then,  to  attempt  to  describe,  or  even  to  com- 
prehend, that  spiritual  glory,  which  will  for  ever 
attract,  and  fill  the  most  enlarged  contemplative 
power  of  an  immortal  spirit !  All  that  we  can  say  is, 
that  the  j^erfections  of  the  divine  character  will  be 
unveiled  to  the  contemplation  of  the  redeemed. 
They  shall  see  Him  as  He  is.  They  shall  know,  even 
as  also  they  are  known.  "  Conceive  One  Gloky 
resulting  from  substantial  wisdom,  goodness,  power, 
truth,  justice,  holiness,  that  is,  beaming  forth  from 
Him,  who  is  all  these,  by  His  very  essence,  neces- 
sarily, originally,  infinitely,  eternally,  with  whatso- 
ever else  is  truly  a  perfection.  This  is  the  glory 
blessed  souls  shall  behold  forever."'-  "They  shall 
see  the  beauty  of  His  person  ;  the  splendour  and 
brightness  of  His  understanding;  the  largeness  of 
His  love  ;  His  uncorrupted  justice;  His  unexhausted 

*  Howe. 


Seeing    God.  165 

goodness ;  His  immovable  truth  ;  His  uncontrollable 
power ;  His  vast  dominions,  which  yet  He  fills  with 
His  presence,  and  administers  their  affairs  with  ease, 
and  is  magnified  and  praised  in  them  by  the  throng 
of  all  His  creatures."-  ''The  sight  of  God  prima- 
rily and  immediately  denotes  our  perfect  knowledge 
of  God,  in  the  other  life,  in  opposition  to  those 
obscure  and  more  imperfect  discoveries  and  appre- 
hensions which  we  have  of  Him  in  these  earthly 
bodies.  We  see  Him  now  many  times  as  He  is  not  y 
that  is,  we  are  liable  to  false  and  mistaken  concep- 
tions of  Him  ;  but  then,  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is. 
The  clearness  of  our  knowledge  will  free  us  from  all 
error  and  mistake  about  Him.  But  we  are  now, 
many  times,  at  a  loss  what  conceptions  to  have  of 
God ;  we  are  hard  put  to  reconcile  one  perfection 
of  God  with  another,  and  to  make  them  consistent 
and  agree  together.  "We  believe  His  providence, 
but  we  are  puzzled  many  times  how  to  make  that 
accord  with  His  justice  and  goodness  ;  but  in  heaven 
we  shall  see  the  harmony  of  all  these,  and  that  it  was 
nothing  but  our  ignorance  which  made  us  imagine 
any  disagreement  in  them, "f  "Then  the  false  sus- 
picions and  secret  murmurs  which  we  may  have 
directed  against  God's  government  of  the  world  will 
be  silenced  before  the  glorious  exhibition  of  His 
holiness,  His  justice,  and  His  mercy  Then  the 
*  Bishop  Patrick.        t  Tillotson. 


1GG  My    FATHER'S    House. 

prosperity  of  the  wicked,  tlie  success  of  the  unjust, 
the  triumphs  of  the  oppressor,  will  appear  to  have 
been  permitted  for  purposes  infinitely  more  wise  and 
benevolent."*  "  In  the  contemplation  of  the  Divine 
"Being,  we  are  in  no  clanger,"  says  Robert  Hall,  "  of 
going  beyond  our  subject;  we  are  conversing  with 
an  Infinite  Object,  in  the  depth  of  whose  essence  and 
purposes,  we  are  for  ever  lost.  This  will  probably 
give  all  the  emotions  of  freshness  and  astonishment 
to  the  raptures  of  the  beatific  vision,  and  add  a 
delightful  zest  to  the  devotions  of  eternity.  This 
will  enable  the  Divine  Being  to  pour  in  continually 
fresh  accessions  of  light ;  to  unfold  new  views  of  His 
character,  disclose  new  parts  of  His  perfections,  open 
new  mansions  in  Himself,  in  which  the  mind  will 
find  ample  room  to  expatiate.  Thus  shall  we  learn, 
to  all  eternity,  that,  so  far  from  exhausting  His 
infinite  fullness,  there  will  remain  infinite  recesses 
in  His  nature  unexplored;  scenes  in  His  counsels 
never  brought  before  the  view  of  His  creatures  ; 
that  we  know  but  '  parts  of  His  ways ;'  and  that, 
instead  of  exhausting  our  theme,  we  are  not  even 
approaching  nearer  to  the  comprehension  of  the 
Eternal  All."  That  immediate  and  enlarged  know- 
ledge which  the  blessed  in  heaven  shall  have  of  the 
divine  glory,  comprehending  much  at  one  view,  as  it 
were  by  intuition,  in  which  respect  they  may  be  said 
*Bp.  Hobart's  Serm.,  Vol.  II.  p.  392. 


Seeing    God.  167 

in  a  great  degree,  to  know,  even  as  also  they  are 
known  by  God,  may  be  called  sight,  inasmuch  as  the 
act  and  comprehension  of  the  bodily  eye  in  vision,  is 
"  the  most  perfect  imitation  of  this  act  of  the  mind." 
But  may  not  the  Divine  Being,  by  some  sensible 
glory,  not  belonging  to  His  essence,  and  which  it 
would  be  too  much  for  man,  while  in  the  flesh,  to 
behold,  manifest  Himself  to  the  redeemed  in  heaven? 
To  see  what  angels  and  the  glorified  in  heaven  look 
upon,  with  steady  gaze  and  joyful  exultation,  would 
rend  the  veil  of  the  flesh  and  cause  our  present 
tabernacles  to  break  in  pieces.  Is  it  wholly  incon- 
ceivable that  the  Most  High  should  grant  to  them 
some  adumbration  of  Himself,  some  symbol  as  the 
sign  of  His  presence  ?  John  Howe  maintains  that 
there  may  be  in  heaven  some  such  "  umbrage,"  or 
"  shadowy  representation,"  as  an  object  to  the 
"proper  sensitive  powers  and  organs"  of  the  resur- 
rection body.*  Archbishop  Tillotson,  on  the  other 
hand,  thinks  that  the  expression,  Seeing  God,  is  to 
be  taken  strictly  in  a  spiritual  sense.  "  "We  are  not 
to  dream  that  we  are  to  see  God,"  he  says,  "  with 
our  bodily  eyes,  for  being  a  pure  spirit,  He  can  not 
be  the  object  of  any  corporeal  sense  ;  but  we  shall 
have  such  a  sight  of  Him  as  a  pure  spirit  is  capable 
of — we  shall  see  Him  with  the  eyes  of  our  minds  and 
understandings.     And,  in  this  sense,  we  do,  in  some 

"*  Blessed  of  the  Righteous,  Ch.  IE. 


168  M  v    FAT  II  ER'S    Hoi  se. 

degree,  see  God  in  this  life,  by  faith  and  knowledge ; 
but  it  is  but  darkly.  When  we  come  to  heaven  our 
understandings  shall  be  raised  and  cleared  to  such 
a  degree  of  strength  and  perfection,  that  we  shall 
know  God  after  a  more  perfect  manner  than  we  are 
capable  of  in  this  state  of  mortality.  And  this  per- 
fect knowledge  of  Him,  together  with  the  happy 
effects  of  it,  those  affections  which  it  shall  raise  in  us, 
and  that  blessed  enjoyment  of  the  chief  good  which 
we  are  not  able  to  express,  is  that  which  is  called  the 
sight  of  God."  * 

But  whatever  may  be  true  as  to  the  figurative  or 
literal  sense  of  the  beatific  vision,  as  commonly 
understood,  the  subject  seems  to  be  relieved  of 
all  difficulty  when  we  consider  that  the  Shekinah, 
or  visible  symbol  of  the  Divine  presence,  will  be  seen 
in  the  glorified  humanity  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
God  was  "  manifest  in  the  flesh "  by  that  material 
body  of  Christ,  which  men  saw  with  their  eyes,  and 
which  their  hands  handled;  which  they  had  no 
power  to  destroy,  without  His  permission;  through 
which  His  disciples  saw  the  rays  of  His  divinity 
stream  forth,  changing  the  fashion  of  His  counte- 
nance, until  it  shone  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun, 
and  imparting  to  His  garments  a  lustrous  whiteness 
as  "  no  fuller  on  earth  could  whiten  them ;"  which 
was  suspended  on  the  cross ;  which  the  tomb  could 
*  Serm.  I.  on  1  John,  iii.  2. 


S  j-  b  in u    God.  169 

not  confine  ;  and  was  seen  and  handled  by  them, 
after  His  resurrection.  This  very  body  they  saw 
go  up  into  heaven ;  and  there,  gloeified,  it  still 
manifests  God,  manifests  Him  as  He  could  not  be 
manifested  to  mortal  eyes.  The  Deity  took  our 
nature  that  He  might  suffer  therein,  and  might  con- 
verse with  finite  creatures  on  earth.  He  therefore 
took  a  body  which  did  not  seem  to  differ  from  their 
bodies.  He  still  wears  our  nature  in  heaven,  that 
creatures,  who  are  still  finite,  and  who  could  not 
sustain  the  dread  presence  of  God,  and  live,  may 
enjoy  communion  with  Him  there.  But  O,  how  glo- 
rious !  The  Transfiguration-glories  may  have  been, 
in  part,  designed  to  give  us  some  conception  of  His 
body  of  glory.  His  people,  too,  shall  be  around 
Him,  with  their  vile  bodies  fashioned  like  unto  His 
glorious  body.  And  this  humanity,  shared  alike  by 
the  Redeemer  and  the  redeemed,  this  communion, 
this  vision  of  God  manifest  in  the  mediatorial  Kinff, 
will  be  eternal.  The  tabernacle  of  God  will  be  with 
men  for  ever,  in  the  sense  that  the  glorified  humanity 
of  our  Lord  will  be  the  tent  or  tabernacle  in  which 
the  glory  of  His  divinity  will  reside,  and  through 
which  its  splendour  will  shine  forth,  with  a  bright- 
ness which  shall  fill  all  heaven  with  unspeakable 
joy.  The  saints  in  heaven  will  behold  the  once 
crucified,  but  now  exalted  and  reigning  Saviour — 
every  one  exclaiming,  "  He  loved  me  and  gave  Him- 


170  My  FATHER'S  House.      . 

self  for  me;"  "  Thou  wast  slain  and  hast  redeemed 
us  to  God  by  thy  blood,  out  of  every  kindred,  and 
tongue,  and  people,  and  nation."'  Christ  Avill  not 
lay  aside  His  glorified  humanity  when  He  lavs  aside 
His  mediatorial  kingdom.  He  will  never  cease 
to  reign ;  He  will  only  cease  to  mediate  for  the 
redeemed,  made  perfect  and  confirmed  in  holiness 
for  ever,  beyond  the  peradventure  of  a  fall ;  but  His 
kingdom  is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  to  His 
dominion  there  shall  be  no  end.  As  the  Father  did 
not  cease  to  reign  when  He  delivered  the  mediato- 
rial kingdom  to  the  Son,  so  the  Son  will  not  cease  to 
reign  when  He  delivers  back  the  mediatorial  king- 
dom to  the  Father.  He  will  still  stand  at  the  head 
of  His  redeemed  church,  and  in  His  glorified  body 
■will  be  the  great  object  of  homage  to  the  members 
of  that  church.  He  will  smile  on  them  ;  He  will 
welcome  them  ;  He  will  love  them  ;  and  every  per- 
fection and  every  excellence  that  can  be  named,  in 
all  the  beauty  of  holiness,  will  shine  forth  from  Hem, 
and  attract  every  eye.  They  will  know  that  they 
are  looking  upon  Him  who  atoned  for  their  sins  by 
11  is  death  on  Calvary;  who  interceded  for  them  in 
the  presence  of  the  Father ;  who  gave  them  His 
Spirit  to  renew  and  sanctify  their  hearts  :  who  suc- 
coured them  in  temptation;  who  supported  them 
in  death;  and  crowned  them  with  eternal  glory: 
and  as  they  behold   His   complacent  and   gracious 


Seeing    G  o  j> .  171 

smiles,   their    souls   will    be   filled   with    rapturous 
delight. 

"  We  shall  be  like  Him  ;  for  we  shall  see  Ilnr  as 
He  is."  How  great  a  hope  is  this  !  We  are  not 
only  to  see  Him  but  to  be  made  like  Hem.  Yerily, 
the  words  carry  in  them  an  amazing  sound.  "  Were 
the  dust  of  the  earth  turned  into  stars  in  the  firma- 
ment, were  the  most  stupendous  poetical  imagina- 
tions assured  realities,  what  could  equal  the  greatness 
and  wonder,  of  this  mighty  change?"  There  is  a 
sense  in  which  to  desire  to  be  like  God  is  unlawful. 
He  has  incommunicable  attributes,  in  which  no 
finite  creature  can  ever  share.  But  the  saints  will 
be  made  to  resemble  Hem,  according  to  their  finite 
capacities,  in  moral  excellences.  That  image  of  God 
in  which  man  was  originally  created,  in  knowledge, 
righteousness  and  holiness,  will  be  perfectly  restored 
in  heaven.  They  will  possess  bodies  fashioned  like 
unto  Christ's  glorious  body,  according  to  the  work- 
ing whereby  He  is  able  even  to  subdue  all  things 
unto  Himself.*  And  how  reasons  the  Apostle  John  ? 
what  inference  does  he  draw  from  the  expectation  of 
being  like  Christ,  at  His  appearing  ?  "  And  every 
man  that  hath  this  hope  in  him  purifieth  himself, 
even  as  he  is  pure."  Our  hope  of  heaven  is  baseless, 
will  do  us  no  good,  unless  the  cherishing  of  it 
tends  to  purify  us,  and  assimilate  us  to  Him,  whom 
*  Phil.  iii.  21. 


172  My   FATHER'S    House. 

we  expect  to  behold,  at  His  appearing.  They 
shall  have  heaven,  who  thus  learn  to  love  it,  and 
whose  hearts  are  framed  to  its  purity  and  spiritual 


Absent    f k o m    the    Body.  3 73 


ABSENT    FROM    THE    BODY. 

THE  state  of  the  soul,  immediately  after  death,  is 
not  a  matter  of  vain  speculation.  It  cannot  be  a 
matter  of  indifference  to  those  who  mourn  the 
departure  of  friends  from  this  world ;  or  who  them- 
selves expect  soon  to  die,  to  inquire  into  the  expe- 
rience of  the  soul,  immediately  upon  being  separated 
from  the  body.  Such  an  inquiry  "bears  directly 
upon  points  which  touch  the  best  feelings  of  our 
nature,  which  involve  the  satisfaction  and  repose  of 
our  own  personal  anticipations,  and  which  limit  or 
increase  the  sources  from  which  the  Christian 
mourner  may  derive  an  immediate  consolation."  It 
is  a  moment  of  great  solemnity,  when,  as  we  watch 
for  the  last  breath  of  some  suffering  friend,  we  see 
the  chest  heave  for  the  last  time,  and  the  body  settle 
into  the  repose  and  stillness  of  death.  '  Whither 
has  the  soul  gone  ?  Does  it  survive  ?  Can  it  be 
conscious,  active,  and  intelligent,  separate  from  the 


174  My    FATHER'S   House. 

body  ?  Into  what  new  scenes  lias  it  been  ushered  ? 
What  is  now  its  experience?'  Without  the  inspired 
word  of  God,  death  would  be  an  unsolved  mystery, 
and  questions  like  these  could  not  be  answered.  Let 
us  make  this  word  a  lamp  to  our  feet,  in  attempting 
to  follow  the  spirit  to  its  new  realm  of  being. 

"  Therefore  we  are  always  confident,  knowing  that 
whilst  we  are  at  home  in  the  body,  we  are  absent 
from  the  Lord  (for  we  walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight)  ; 
we  are  confident,  I  say,  and  willing  rather  to  be 
absent  from  the  body,  and  to  be  present  with  the 
Lord."*  These  expressions  plainly  teach  that  death, 
instead  of  interrupting  the  consciousness,  activity, 
and  intelligence  of  the  soul,  awakens  it,  as  out  of  a 
former  sleep,  and  introduces  it,  from  a  state  of 
mournful  disconsolate  absence,  to  the  immediate 
presence,  and  close  embraces  of  the  Lord  of  life. 
How  strangely  mistaken  had  the  Apostle  been  if  his 
death,  or  his  absence  from  the  body,  had  rendered 
him  less  callable  of  enjoying  the  presence  of  his 
Lord  !  As,  after  the  resurrection  the  soul  will  be  no 
longer  absent  from  the  body,  the  phrase,  "present 
with  the  Lord,"  must  denote  the  life  and  bliss  of 
saints,  immediately  following  their  death.  The 
Apostle  does  not  mean  apparent,  but  real  time.  Nor 
would  he  have  used  the  language,  "  We  are  *  *  * 
willing  rather  to   be   absent  from    the   body,  and 

*  2  Cor.  v.  C,  7,  8. 


Absent    p  r  o  m    t  11  1:    Body.  ]_Y5 

present  with  the  Lord,"  if  lie  had  held  it  impossible 
to  be  present  with  the  Lord,  without  the  body.  In 
another  epistle,  he  uses  this  language,  "  I  am  in  a 
strait  betwixt  two,  having  a  desire  to  depart,  and 
to  be  with  Christ ;  which  is  far  better  ;  nevertheless, 
to  abide  in  the  flesh  is  more  needful  for  you."* 
How  could  language  more  clearly  prove  that  the 
righteous,  at  death,  go  immediately  into  the  presence 
of  Christ  ?  Paul  would  not  have  said  it  is  better  to 
die  than  to  live,  if  at  death,  the  soul  becomes 
insensible  ;  he  would  never  have  been  in  a  strait, 
betwixt  living  and  dying ;  for  it  would  be  far  prefer- 
able to  live.  His  language  declares  the  soul's 
immediate  happiness,  in  the  presence  of  Christ.  "  It 
is  evident,"  says  Dr.  Watts,  "  that  the  Apostle  hoped 
to  be  present  with  the  Lord,  immediately,  as  soon  as 
he  was  absent  from  the  body  ;  otherwise,  death  would 
have  been  to  him  of  little  gain,  if  he  must  have 
been  sleeping,  till  the  dead  shall  rise,  at  the  general 
resurrection."f  And  here,  again,  "the  commence- 
ment of  his  presence  with  the  Lord  is  represented  as 
coincident,  not  with  his  return  to  the  body,  but  with 
his  leaving  it;  with  the  dissolution,  not  with  the 
restoration  of  the  union. "+ 

When  our  Lord  was  dying  on  the  cross,  one  of  the 
thieves  crucified  with  Hem,  prayed,  "Lord,  remember 

*  Phil.  i.  23,  24.  t  Essay  on  Separate  State. 

t  Dr.  Campbell,  VI.  Dis. 


176  My   FATHER'S  II  or  sic. 

me  when  Tnou  comest  into  Thy  kingdom,  and  was 
answered,  "To-day,  shalt  thou  be  with  Me  in  para- 
dise." The  penitent  must  have  been  acquainted  with 
the  Jewish  doctrine  of  a  future  state,  to  commence 
immediately  after  death.  Our  Lord  did  not  attempt 
to  disabuse  his  mind  of  any  error  on  this  point.  Any 
explanation  of  our  Saviour's  words,  which  would 
postpone  the  happiness  of  the  dying  thief  to  some 
future,  indefinite  period,  "  would  be  sadly  trifling 
with  the  trembling  penitent's  feelings  ;  and  would  be, 
besides,  perfectly  incompatible  both  with  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Saviour,  and  with  the  solemn  and  impor- 
tant purposes  for  which  he  was  then  suffering."* 

The  martyr  Stephen,  just  before  he  fell,  "looked 
up  steadfastly  into  heaven,  and  saw  the  glory  of 
Gocl,  and  Jesus  standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God." 
As  his  enemies  stoned  him,  he  called  "  upon  God, 
saying,  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit."  He  evi- 
dently expected  to  be  immediately  received  into  the 
very  heavens  he  saw  opened,  and  into  the  presence 
of  that  Saviour  whom  he  saw,  standing  on  the  right 
hand  of  God.  He  believed  the  words  of  that 
Saviour,  that  men  may  kill  the  body,  but  are  not 
able  to  •  kill  the  soul — that  the  soul  has  no  such 
dependence  on  the  body  as  necessitates  it  to  sink  into 
insensibility  when  the  body  dies.  Embracing  a 
notion  so   intelligible,  because  so  inconsistent  with 

*  Dr.  Gregory's  Evid.  of  the  Christian  Religion,  Vol.  II.  p.  272. 


Absent  prom  the  Body.         177 

the  nature  and  attributes  of  the  soul,  and  only  to  be 
conceived  of  as  synonymous  with  at  least  a  temporary 
annihilation,  the  guilty  might  hope  to  escape  from 
present  remorse  of  conscience,  by  taking  refuge  in 
the  land  of  darkness  and  oblivion;  and  the  just 
might  shudder  at  the  dreary  void  immediately  in 
prospect,  at  the  hour  of  death.-  But  no ;  death, 
while  it  consigns  the  body  to  darkness  and  insensi^ 
bility,  for  a  season,  in  the  grave,  is  the  portal  of  the 
soul  to  a  more  vigorous  and  active  life.  O  what  a 
moment  must  that  be,  when  it  passes,  from  amidst 
things  which  are  seen  and  temporal,  to  mingle  in 
scenes  which  are  invisible  and  eternal ! 

"  0  the  pain,  the  bliss  of  dying!" — 

the  pain  which  attends  the  sundering  of  ties  that 
have  bound  us  to  earthly  stations  and  friends,  and 
the  dissolution  of  the  body  and  soul ;  but  the  greater 
bliss  of  the  cheering  presence,  which  attends  the 
believer,  in  the  dark  valley,  and  of  the  immediate 
presence  of  Christ,  as  soon  as  he  has  passed  beyond 
its  shadow.  We  cannot  follow  the  departing  spirit, 
as  it  leaves  earth  and  all  its  scenes  behind,  and  enters 
into  the  instant  presence  of  God,  revealed  in  Christ. 
"  Infinite  love,"  it  has  been  well  said,  "  can  and  will 
save  the  poor,  trembling,  shrinking  soul,  newly  come 
into  the  sublimities  of  a  strange  world,  from  the 

*  Polwhele's  Essay. 

8* 


178  My  FATHER'S   House. 

shock  of  a  surprise,  which  otherwise  would  astound 
or  annihilate  ;  and  so  hold  back  the  face  of  that 
throne,  and  so  spread  a  cloud  over  it,  and  BO  mitigate 
its  splendours,  that  the  frail  creature  born  into  an 
untried  state  shall  be  able  to  bear  it."*  In  its  first 
wonder  it  will  perhaps  cry  out, 

"  And  is  this  heaven?  and  am  I  here? 

How  short  the  road  !  how  swift  the  flight ! 
I  am  all  life,  all  eye,  all  ear; 

Jesus  is  here,  my  soul's  delight. 
Is  this  the  heavenly  Friend  who  hung 

In  blood  and  anguish  on  the  tree  ? 
Whom  Paul  proclaimed,  whom  David  sung? 

Who  died  for  them,  who  died  for  me?" 

13 lit  the  question  we  have  been  considering  may 
assume  a  somewhat  different  form — Whether  the 
Bonis  of  men,  at  death,  pass  immediately  into  heaven 
or  hell,  or  are  detained  in  some  middle  state  of  happy 
or  wretched  existence,  until  the  resurrection  of  their 
bodies  ?  Do  the  Scriptures  acknowledge  any  other 
places  for  souls,  in  the  separate  state,  than  that 
heaven,  where  the  redeemed  behold  the  lace  of  God 
in  light  and  glory,  Availing  for  the  full  redemption 
of  their  bodies,  and  that  heU,  where  the  wicked  remain 
in   torments    and    utter    darku  rved    to    the 

judgment  of  the  great  day  ?     Those  who  contend  that 
the  disembodied  souls  of  men,  before  the  resurrec- 
*  Consolation,  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Alexander,  p.  403. 


Absent  from  the  Body.         X79 

tion,  are  neither  admitted  to  heaven,  nor  banished 
to  the  world  of  everlasting  perdition,  maintain  that 
there  is  an  unseen  place,  called  in  Scripture,  Hades, 
in  one  compartment  of  which,  the  souls  of  the  just 
dwell  in  peaceful  happiness ;  and  that  within  view 
of  this,  there  is  another  for  the  custody  of  wicked 
spirits,  where  they  await  the  judgment  of  the  great 
day.  It  will  be  simply  necessary  to  show  that  Hades, 
does  not  denote  a  middle  place  of  departed  spirits, 
but  merely  the  state  of  the  dead.  There  is  a  single 
passage,  in  connection  with  which  all  that  is  essential 
to  a  clear  understanding  of  the  subject  may  be 
presented.  It  is  the  passage  contained  in  the  six- 
teenth Psalm,  and  which  is  expressly  applied  by  the 
Apostle  *  to  our  Saviour  ;  "  Thou  wilt  not  leave  my 
soul  in  hell,  neither  wilt  thou  suffer  thine  Holy  One  to 
see  corruption."  It  has  been  often  cited,  to  prove  that 
the  soul — the  rational,  spiritual  soul  of  our  Saviour, 
went  to  that  place  or  world  (Hades)  where  the  souls 
of  men  are  said  to  be  detained,  entering  neither 
heaven  nor  hell,  properly  speaking,  till  the  resurrec- 
tion. But  while  the  word  soul  with  us  means  the 
thinking,  immortal  part  of  man,  the  Hebrew  word, 
here  translated  soul,  means  primarily  breath  ;  then 
life  or  the  vital  principle  ;  then  the  spirit  or  soul ; 
and  here  probably  denotes  nothing  more  than  me  or 
myself.     There  is  not  a  single  instance  in  which  it 

*  Acts  ii.  27. 


180  My    FATHER'S    Hoi 

can  clearly  be  made  out,  that  it  was  ever  applied  to 
the  soul,  -when  separated  from  the  body.  In  this 
passage,  it  must  be  explained  in  part  by  the  meaning 
of  the  word  Hades,  translated  hell.  This  Greek  word 
literally  means  a  concealed  or  covered  place.  Turn- 
ing back  to  the  sixteenth  Psalm,  where  the  passage 
stands  in  its  original  form,  "  Thou  wilt  not  leave  my 
soul  to  hell ;  thou  wilt  not  give  thy  Holy  One  to  see 
corruption,"  the  word  hell  is  used  in  its  wide  old 
English  sense  as  corresponding  to  the  Hebrew  Sheol, 
which  the  Seventy  translated  by  the  word  Hades. 
Sheol  is  often  used  as  parallel  to  death  ;  it  means 
here  the  grave  as  a  general  receptacle  ;  or  the  state 
of  the  dead:  "Thou  wilt  not  leave  Me  to  the  grave,  or 
the  state  of  the  dead  ;  thou  wilt  not  suffer  thy  Holy 
One  to  see  corruption."  Two  apostles  *  have  quoted 
these  words  to  show  that  Christ's  buried  body  was 
saved  from  the  first  approach  of  putrefaction,  and 
that,  in  this  sense,  they  were  inapplicable  to  David. 
And  this,  doubtless,  is  their  grand  import.  While 
therefore  the  word  (Sheol  or  Hades),  under  considera- 
tion, may  mean  something  more  than  simply  grave, 
or  sepulchre,  namely  the  state  of  the  dead,  the  power 
of  death,  or  the  unseen  world  beyond  the  grave  ;  it 
is  impossible  to  make  it  appear  from  this  text,  that 
Christ  descended  into  hell,  when  He  died,  in  the  sense 
of  going  to  the  region  where  departed  spirits  are 
*Acts  ii.  29-31  ;  xiii.  35-37. 


Absent    from    the    Body.  ^gj_ 

detained  until  the  resurrection — and  did  not  ascend 
into  heaven. 

The  paradise  to  which  the  Saviour  referred,  in  His 
promise  to  the  crucified  malefactor,  was  heaven,  the 
supreme  heaven,  and  not  some  mansion,  of  this 
name,  in  the  world  of  separate  spirits,  assigned  to 
the  righteous  as  their  place  of  residence,  until  the 
resurrection.  To  disprove  this,  much  has  been 
attempted  to  be  made  of  His  words  to  Mary,  after 
His  resurrection  from  the  dead  ;  "Touch  me  not ;  for 
I  am  not  yet  ascended  to  my  Father."*  But  surely 
His  telling  Mary  that  He  had  not  yet  ascended  to 
His  Father,  with  His  risen  body,  did  not  mean  that 
during  the  time  His  body  was  lying  in  the  sepulchre, 
He  did  not  go  into  the  presence  of  His  Father.  As 
He  yielded  up  His  spirit  on  the  cross,  He  cried, 
"Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 
And  was  not  that  prayer  answered  ?  Did  not  His 
spirit  go  into  the  presence  of  His  Father  ?  Surely, 
then,  that  paradise  to  which  He  promised  the  dying 
penitent  admission,  was  no  other  place  than  that 
heaven  where  the  face  of  God  is  beheld,  in  light  and 
glory.  Our  Lord  cautioned  Mary  against  delay,  but 
to  hasten  with  His  message  to  His  disciples,  "  I  am 
not  now  ascending,  i.  c.  going  immediately  to  ascend 
to  my  Father;  therefore  make  no  delay — you  will 
have  opportunity  hereafter  to  see  Me  before  I  return 
*  John  xx.  17. 


182  My   FATHER'S   House. 

to  my  Father  and  your  Father,  to  my  God  and  your 
God." 

Much,  also,  has  been  attempted  to  be  made  of  the 
parable  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus,  as  teaching  that 
there  must  be  a  place  of  departed  souls,  supposed  to 
be  divided  into  two  parts,  separated  by  an  impassable 
gulf,  but  which  are  entirely  distinct  from  heaven  and 
hell.  It  properly  belongs  to  the  very  scope  and 
design  of  this  parable  to  show  what  becomes  of  the 
souls  of  good  and  bad  men,  when  they  die.  It  is 
said  that  the  rich  man  died,  and  in  hell  (Hades) 
lifted  up  his  eyes  in  torment.  If  hell,  in  this 
instance,  does  not  mean  the  place  of  future  everlast- 
ing torment,*  but  an  invisible  world,  having  two 
apartments,  where  the  good  and  bad  await  the  resur- 
rection of  their  bodies,  why  is  the  rich  man  alone 
represented  as  going  there  ?  Why  is  it  not  also  said 
that  Lazarus  went  to  hell  or  Hades  ?  When  Lazarus 
died,  he  was  carried  by  angels  to  Abraham's  bosom. 
So  far  from  its  being  derogatory  to  heaven  to  suppose 
Abraham's  bosom  to  be  figurative  of  it,  the  use  of 
this  figurative  phrase  would,  to  His  Jewish  hearers, 
be  the  highest  expression  of  the  happiness  and  glory 
of  heaven. 

But  that  the  word  "  paradise,"  as  used  in  Scrip- 
ture, means  heaven,  the  highest    heaven,  and  not  a 

*  See  Prof.  Stuart's  Essays  on  the  "Words  denoting  future  punish- 
ment. 


A B  S E  X  T     FROM     THE     B  0  D  Y .  183 

compartment  in  some  mansion,  short  of  that  world, 
we  have  incontrovertible  evidence  in  the  account 
which  Paul  gives  of  his  wonderful  vision,*  in  which 
he  uses  "  paradise,"  and  "  the  third  heaven "  as 
synonymous  and  convertible  terms.  *He  knew  a  man 
in  Christ  caught  np  to  the  third  heaven,  caught  up 
into  paradise,  where  he  heard  unspeakable  words. 
The  third  heaven,  according  to  Jewish  belief,  was 
the  abode  of  Jehovah,  and  this  was  the  paradise  into 
which  Paul  was  caught  up.  His  experience  was, 
perhaps,  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  believers  in 
Christ,  at  their  death.  He  did  not  know  whether  he 
was  in  the  body  or  out  of  the  body.  We  know  that 
they  are  out  of  the  body,  for  they  leave  their  dust  to 
be  deposited  by  our  hands  in  the  grave.  But  their 
spirits  are  caught  up  to  the  third  heaven,  into  para- 
dise to  hear,  and  see,  and  know,  what  no  mortal 
tongue  can  ever  ntter.  As  we  stand  weeping  around 
the  cold,  inanimate  body  of  some  dear  friend,  who 
was  a  friend  of  Christ,  just  as  the  last  pulse  has 
ceased  to  throb,  his  soul  has  passed  through  the 
wonderful  experience  of  being  caught  up  to  the 
Lord  to  see  Him  as  He  is.  Yerily,  this  must  be  so  ; 
for  did  not  our  Saviour,  just  before  His  crucifixion, 
comfort  His  sorrowiug  disciples  with  these  words,  "  I 
go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you ;  and  if  I  go  and  pre- 
pare a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again  and  receive 

*  2  Cor.  xii.  2-4. 


184  Mt  FATHER'S  House. 

you  unto  Myself,  that  where  I  am  there  ye  may  be 
also!"  He  fulfilled  this  promise.  He  came  again, 
at  their  death,  and  received  them ;  and  they  are  now 
where  He  is.  Many  of  them  expired  amidst  aggra- 
vated tortures,  with  the  martyr's  prayer  on  their  lips, 
"Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit."  Where  Christ 
is,  there  is  heaven.  Can  it  be  supposed  that  the 
Saviour  would  attempt  to  comfort  His  friends  with 
the  promise  that  they  should  see  Hun  and  enjoy  His 
presence  again  after  thousands  (nearly  two  have 
expired)  of  years ;  and  that  they  were  to  pass  this 
long  interval  of  conscious  existence  out  of  His  pre- 
sence? Or,  take  the  passages  which  have  already 
been  referred  to — in  one  of  which  the  Apostle 
expresses  his  willingness  to  be  absent  from  the  body 
and  present  with  the  Lord  ;  and  in  the  other,  expres- 
ses his  desire  to  depart,  and  to  be  with  Christ,  and 
adds,  "for  to  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain  !" 
Where  is  Christ  ?  Is  not  Christ  in  heaven  ?  Did 
He  not  ascend  to  His  Father  and  our  Father,  to  His 
God  and  our  God  ?  And  is  not  His  session,  at  the 
right  hand  of  His  Father,  where  He  maketh  inter- 
cession for  His  people,  a  cardinal  doctrine  of  the 
word  of  God?  How  could  Paul,  then,  he  in  His 
presence,  and  not  in  heaven,  in  the  presence  of 
God,  the  Father  ?  Was  Paul  cherishing  a  mis- 
taken, groundless  hope  ?  Was  it  not  "  gain "  for 
him  to  die? 


A.BSEXT      FROM     THE      BODY.  1  g5 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  subscribing  to  the  opinion 
that  the  righteous  do  not  receive  their  full  reward, 
and  are  not  to  expect  it  till  the  day  of  judgment.  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  receiving  what  is  said  to  be  the 
doctrine  of  the  primitive  church,  that  "the  soul  is 
but  in  an  imperfect  state  of  happiness  till  the  resur- 
rection, when  the  whole  man  shall  obtain  a  complete 
victory  over  death,  and  by  the  last  judgment  be 
established  in  an  endless  state  of  consummate  happi- 
ness and  glory."  *  While  the  body  sees  corruption  in 
the  grave,  no  man  can  be  said  to  be  fully  delivered 
from  death.  By  the  original  constitution  of  his 
nature,  he  consists  of  soul  and  body ;  and  his  perfect 
happiness,  therefore,  requires  the  united  glory  and 
happiness  of  both  parts  of  the  whole  man.  Death, 
the  last  enemy,  is  not  destroyed  till  the  resurrection. 
"  A  soul  in  a  state  of  separation,"  says  Bishop  Sher- 
lock, and  I  concur  in  the  strong  and  impressive 
statement,  "  how  happy  soever,  otherwise  it  may  be, 
has  still  this  mark  of  God's  displeasure  on  it,  that  it 
has  lost  its  body,  and,  therefore,  the  reunion  of  our 
souls  and  bodies  has,  at  least,  this  advantage  in  it, 
that  it  is  a  perfect  restoring  of  us  to  the  divine 
favour.  We  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that  this 
reunion  of  soul  and  body  will  be  a  new  addition 
of  happiness  and  glory." 

To  die,  is  something  more  than  to  fall  into  an 
*  Bingham's  Christian  Antiquities. 


186  Mr   FATHER'S    House. 

unconscious  sleep.  Death  is  neither  the  extinction, 
nor  the  suspension  of  our  being.  It  brings  to  a  close 
our  probationary  existence,  but  is  the  introduction  to 
a  state  of  endless  happiness,  or  of  endless  wi  >e.  Think 
of  the  solemn  scenes  which  are  just  before  you.  Let 
not  that  world,  in  which  you  will  soon  be  no  stranger, 
be  a  stranger  to  your  thoughts.  Ah !  what  spectacle 
is  this  ? — men  travelling  on  the  shore  of  a  boundless 
ocean,  on  which  they  must  soon  set  sail,  but  giving 
not  a  moment's  reflection  to  the  voyage  !  Awake, 
O  awake,  ere  it  be  too  late,  from  this  fatal  slumber 
of  the  soul ! 

This  topic  is  replete  with  consolation  to  those 
bereaved  of  pious  friends.  Let  not  your  thoughts 
linger  too  much  about  the  grave,  where  their  bodies 
await  the  archangel's  trump.  True,  their  dust  is 
precious,  and  they  are  still  united  to  Christ,  and  "  do 
rest  in  their  graves,"  and  in  Hdi  will  rest  till  the 
resurrection.  But  the  spirits,  which  animated  their 
tabernacles  of  clay,  which  imparted  to  them  all 
their  life  and  loveliness,  have  been  "  caught  up  "  to 
those  populous  mansions,  where  the  saints  of  all  ages, 
and  of  all  communions,  meet  in  blessed  harmony. 
There,  they  grieve  no  more ;  they  sin  no  more. 
There,  they  are  holy  ;  and  they  are  happy.  "  Weep 
ye  not  for  the  dead,"  "  Weep  not  for  us,"  could  they 
address  us,  would  they  not  say,  and  with  an  elo- 
quence which  -immortals  alone  know  how  to  use — 


Absent    f  i<  o  m    i  a  ::    B  o  i>  r .  is*7 

"  weep  not  for  us  ;  weep  for  yourselves.  The  victory- 
is  ours,  the  conflict  is  still  yours.  The  crown  is  ours, 
the  cross  is  still  yours.  Weep  not  for  us."  God 
grant  that  we  may  fight  on  till  death,  that  the  crown 
of  victory  may  be  ours  too. 

"  No  eye  shall  ever  shed  a  tear  there  ; 
None  shall  feel,  or  grief,  or  fear  there  ; 
Every  face  a  smile  shall  wear  there  ; 
In  that  Laud  of  the  Blessed."* 


Durant. 


188  My    FATHER'S    HousR, 


XI. 

THE    BODY    RESTORED. 

THE  Redeemed,  on  their  dej>arture  from  tins 
world,  as  has  been  shown,  enter  into  the  presence 
of  the  Lord,  and  upon  an  endless  career  in  knowledge 
and  holiness.  But,  while  the  body  is  in  the  grave, 
death,  the  last  enemy,  still  reigns,  and  the  soul 
cannot  enjoy  that  perfect  bliss,  which  will  be  its 
eternal  reward,  when  it  is  no  longer  a  separate  soul, 
but  is  united  with  a  glorious  body  like  unto  Christ's. 
The  New  Testament  doctrine,  in  regard  to  those 
who  embrace  the  hope  set  before  them,  is  this : — 
The  believer  dies,  and  his  body  is  committed  to  the 
grave;  it  moulders  away.  It  is  sown  in  weakness 
and  dishonour ;  it  is  sown  a  natural  body.  A 
narrow  mound  denotes  the  place  where  it  lies.  It 
matters  not  by  whom  we  are  honoured,  or  by  whom 
despised ;  what  have  been  the  advantages,  or  disad- 
vantages of  our  birth  and  condition  in  life.  Our 
strength  must  perish,  our  beauty  consume  away,  our 


The    Body    Restored.  180 

•worldly  honours  and  affluence  be  left  behind,  and 
the  grave  become  the  repository  of  our  dust.  But 
the  morning  of  the  resurrection  shall  reclaim  the 
bodies  of  all  who  sleep  in  Jesus  from  the  humiliation 
of  the  tomb.  They  shall  be  raised  in  power,  and 
glory,  incorruptible,  immortal.  The  apostle  Paul 
states  the  fearful  alternative,  which  remains  to  us, 
upon  the  denial  of  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection ; 
"  If  there  be  no  resurrection  of  the  dead,  then  is 
Christ  not  risen  ?  And  if  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is 
our  preaching  vain,  and  your  faith  is  also  vain."* 
Such  denial  necessarily  involves  that  of  all  revealed 
religion,  makes-  faith  vain,  divine  ordinances  and 
institutions  vain  ;  makes  the  Apostles  and  Prophets 
false  teachers,  and  Christ  himself  an  impostor.  To 
deny  the  resurrection,  is  to  make  the  Gospel  a  fable, 
and  the  wonderful  works  of  Christ,  impositions  and 
delusions;  nay  more,  it  makes  even  the  history  of 
those  times,  written  by  Pagan  authors,  who  were 
contemporary  with  Christ,  and  His  apostles,  equally 
fabulous.  "In  short,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  history 
in  the  world.  "We  are  in  a  maze  of  doubt  and 
uncertainty;  the  greatest  unbeliever  is  the  truest 
believer ;  and  the  most  unsettled  skepticism  must  be 
the  most  certain  religion.  There  is  neither  Redeemer, 
nor  redemption  ;  no  reality  in  the  relation  of  tilings  ; 
no  evidence  in  our  senses  ;  no  hope  in  life  or  death ; 
*  1  Cor.  xv.  13. 14. 


J  MO  Mi-    FATHER'S    Honsi. 

no  heaven  or  immortality ;  no  providence,  wisdom, 
or  truth  in  all  that  is,  or  all  that  appears  to  he  ;  hut 
the  whole  medley  of  things  is  a  mere  illusion,  and 
the  very  being  of  God  is  a  lie.  This  is  the  creed  of 
those,  who,  without  faith  to  receive  the  truth,  have 
a  vast  credulity,  which  can  swallow  everything 
beside." 

The  Apostle,  selecting  one  of  the  numerous  effects 
of  Spring,  the  growth  of  seed,  powerfully  reasons 
upon  this  subject.  He  derives  a  striking  analogy 
from  the  laws  of  vegetable  reproduction.  But,  it  is 
obvious  there  would  be  no  appropriateness,  and  no 
point  in  his  analogy,  if  the  buried  bodies  of  men  are 
not  to  be  raised  up  from  the  grave.  The  sown  seed 
is  buried  in  the  earth ;  and  as  it  decays  in  its  grave, 
the  germinating  principle  becomes  active,  and  it 
bringeth  forth  much  fruit.  The  same  grain  of  wheat 
that  is  sown  does  not  itself  come  up,  but  it  puts  forth 
a  stalk,  which  bears  an  ear  or  head  of  wheat.  Some- 
thing more  ample,  more  affluent  comes  up.  "We 
sow  not  that  body  that  shall  be.  Precisely  so  in 
respect  to  the  bodies  of  Christ's  buried  saints.  As 
committed  to  the  grave,  they  are  poor  corruptible 
flesh  and  blood — perhaps  enfeebled  and  emaciated  by 
age  and  disease,  or  blackened  and  consumed  by  fire, 
or  fractured  and  lacerated,  in  some  fearful  disaster  ; 
— as  raised  up  again,  they  are  glorious,  immortal, 
incorruptible,  like  unto  Christ's  glorious  body.     But 


The    Body   Restored.  191 

what  becomes  of  this  beautiful  and  instructive 
analogy,  if  the  true  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  be 
that,  at  death,  every  individual  believer  emerges 
from  his  material  into  a  spiritual  body,  and  the  mate- 
rial body  is  given  over  to  a  corruption,  from  which 
there  is  no  redemption  ?  If  the  Apostle  had  designed 
to  teach  that  such  is  the  fate  of  our  bodies,  sown  in 
the  grave,  he  would  have  drawn  his  comparison  from 
seed  that  is  sown,  and  utterly  perishes,  without  send- 
ing up  a  single  blade.  But  he  meant  to  teach  that 
there  is  a  connecting  link  between  that  body  of  flesh 
and  blood  which  the  grave-  receives,  and  those 
glorious,  immortal  fabricks,  which  will  be  built  there- 
from— that  there  is  a  germ,  in  the  graves  where  we 
shall  slumber,  from  which,  at  His  almighty  fiat,  who 
created  us  from  nothing,  a  new  body  shall  spring, 
when  the  last  trumpet  blows,  "breaks  up  old  marble," 
and  echoes,  through  all  the  caverns  of  the  sea.  In 
the  objection  that  there  is  no  vital  principle  resident 
in  the  body  which  is  committed  to  the  grave,  and 
nothing  which  can  have  the  least  tendency  to  repro- 
duce it,  at  the  last  day,  philosophy  is  utterly  at  fault. 
"Who  can  assert,  on  the  mere  ground  of  science,  that 
there  is  no  connecting  link  between  the  one  body 
and  the  other?  We  should  never  know  that  any 
vital  principle  remained  in  the  plants,  which  appear 
to  die  on  the  approach  of  winter,  or  in  the  grain  of 
wheat  that  falls  into  the  ground,  if  we  had  not  the 


192  My  FATHER'S  House. 

advantage  of  observation  and  experiment.  "  We 
present,"  to  adopt  the  language  of  a  late  eminent 
professor,"  in  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  "  to  the 
imagination  the  dispersed  corporeal  elements  of  a 
man,  and  invite  the  philosopher  to  show  us  by  proof, 
by  inspection,  by  experiment,  or  by  analogy,  that 
the  vitality  of  those  elements  is  annihilated,  by 
dispersion.  Sound  reason  can  hardly  evade  the 
conclusion  that  the  continued  existence  of  vitality,  in 
the  dispersed  particles,  is,  in  the  present  lack  of 
all  positive  proof  to  the  contrary,  a  matter  of  fair 
presumption." 

Wherever  our  cla}'  falls  at  death,  we  must  rise 
again.  Let  our  bodies  be  devoured  by  vultures  or 
beasts  of  prey,  by  worms,  or  fishes  of  the  sea ;  yea, 
let  "  the  luxuriant  vigour  of  the  wheat  crop,  waving 
over  the  field  of  Waterloo,  be  owing  to  a  source  of 
fertility  which  the  Belgic  husbandman  never  con- 
veyed to  the  soil."  Let  "  the  putrescent  relics  of  the 
goodly  structure,  which  once  enshrined  a  human  soul, 
be  resolved  into  the  dust  of  the  earth."  Let  that 
"dust  spring  up  in  the  varied  forms  of  vegetable 
life."  Let  "the  beasts  of  the  field  crop  the  grasses 
and  the  herbs  which  derive  their  succulence  from  the 
constituent  material  of  the  bodies  of  buried  men." 
Let  "the  flesh,  which  was  fed  by  the  flesh  of  the 
fathers,  go  to  the  sustenance  of  the  sons."f  Yea,  let 
*  Rev.  Dr.  Dod.         | Busl1  oa  tuo  Resurrection,  p.  41, 


T  ii  k    Body    LIestoued.  •  193 

our  bones  be  scattered  in  disjointed  fragments,  and  our 
dust  blown,  uuo  mound  or  stone  tell  whither,"  God 
will  re-unite  their  scattered  parts,  and  bring  us  before 
His  tribunal.  This  is  the  decree  of  heaven.  The 
light  of  nature  may  fail  to  support  our  expectation 
of  living,  in  another  world,  and  possessing  essentially 
the  same  bodies  we  now  have  ;  but  God  has  decreed 
that  all  who  are  in  their  graves,  shall,  at  some  future 
period,  rise  again.  "Indeed,  who  shall  say,  on  the 
very  principles  urged  against  this  doctrine,  that  the 
particles  of  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  which  have  long 
since  been  mingled  into  innumerable  other  bodies,  of 
either  animals  or  plants,  and  mixed  with  the  waters 
of  the  sea,  or  dust  of  the  earth,  and  been  scattered  by 
the  four  winds  of  heaven,  it  may  be  into  far  distant 
lands,  from  the  place  in  which  they  originally  laid, — 
who  shall  say  that  these  very  elements,  into  which 
they  have  been  changed,  may  not  be  conveying 
them — as  the  down  of  the  thistle  bears  its  seed — to 
the  very  spirit  which  is  hereafter  to  assume  them  as 
its  clothing  ?  Already  the  stormy  wind,  fulfilling 
God's  word,  may  be  bearing  on  its  wings  the  ele- 
ments of  resurrection-bodies  to  their  destined  use! 
God  can  make — and  may  even  now  be  making — the 
rank  grass,  moaning  in  the  melancholy  breezes,  over 
the  obscurest  grave,  the  very  animals  that  may  crop 
it,  or  the  uirds  that  may  consume  its  seeds,  vehicles 
to  bear  to  their  destined  uses,  the  bodies  of  the  buried 


194  My    FATHER'S    House. 

dead."*  Is  anything  too  great,  or  too  difficult  for 
Him  to  accomplish?  Can  not  He  who  framed  our 
bodies  out  of  the  dust  of  the  earth,  after  they  have 
been  dissolved,  bring  together  again  their  original 
atoms,  and  quicken  them  to  immortal  life  ? 

We  see  in  winter  swallows,  worms,  and  flies 
Deprived  of  life  ;  yet  in  the  spring  they  rise. 
Some  chymists  in  their  art  are  so  exact 
That  from  one  herb  they  usually  extract 
Four  different  elements  ;  what  think  you,  then, 
Can  pose  that  God  who  gave  this  skill  to  men?"f 

The  difficulty  with  the  skeptical  on  this  subject  lies 
in  their  limiting  the  power  of  God.  They  "  err,  not 
knowing  the  Scriptures,  neither  the  power  of  God ;" 
for  it  is  the  same  omnipotence  of  Jehovah,  by  which 
our  bodies  were  created  from  nothing  at  first,  which 
shall  open  the  gates  of  the  tomb,  and  raise  them  up, 
after  they  have  slept  their  appointed  time,  in  the 
dust.  Things  that  are  impossible  with  men  are 
possible  with  God.  And  they  err, — not  knowing 
the  Scriptures :  for,  if  the  Bible  makes  any  one 
thing  plain,  it  does,  that  the  literal  body  of  Christ 
was  raised,  and  that,  as  He  was  the  first  fruit  of 
them  that  slept,  the  harvest — at  the  general  resur- 
rection— will  be  of  the  same  nature ;  that  is,  a 
harvest  of  literal  bodies  of  those  who  have  rested 
in  their  graves,  united  to  Christ.  "  God  hath  raised 
*  Sermon  of  Rev.  Dr.  Blagden,  Boston,  1850.        t  Flavel. 


The    Body    Restored.  195 

up  the  Lord,  and  will  also  raise  up  us  by  his  own 
power."  The  flesh  of  Christ,  as  lie  saitli  in  David,* 
was  to  rest  in  hope  ;  it  was  to  lie  in  the  grave,  but  it 
was  to  be  saved  from  the  first  approach  of  that  decay 
which  must  otherwise  have  been  inseparable  from 
death.  This  is  a  doctrine  very  different  from  that 
which  it  is  said  the  judgment  of  reason  must  form 
— that  a  spiritual  body  was  developed  or  disengaged, 
at  the  time  of  Christ's  death  ;  and  this  was  His  resur- 
rection ;  and  that  a  resurrection  similar  to  this,  is  the 
only  one  in  which  believers  in  Hru  will  partake. 
But  as  the  Scriptures  teach  that  the  body  of  Christ 
was  raised  from  the  grave,  they  teach  the  doctrine 
of  a  general  resurrection  ;  for  an  inspired  Apostle 
maintains  that  the  proof  of  the  one  is  involved  in  the 
other.  If  Christ  arose,  in  His  material  body — the 
very  body  that  was  crucified  and  buried — then  it 
follows,  from  the  express  declarations  of  the  word  of 
God,  that  His  people  are  to  rise,  in  like  manner,  in 
the  bodies  which  they  laid  down  at  death.  And  Ave 
should  as  soon  think  of  denying  that  Christ  was  cru- 
cified and  buried,  as  that  His  body  was  raised  from 
the  tomb.  But  this  is  denied.  It  has  been  contended 
that  His  material  body  did  not  rise  at  all ;  but  that 
the  body,  in  which  He  appeared  to  His  disciples, 
was  a  miraculous,  surreptitious  body,  temporarily 
assumed,  rendered  necessary,  on  account  of  those 
*Ps.  xvi.  10,  11. 


196  M  y    KAT1I  EB  '  S     II  01  S  i.. 

carnal  apprehensions  which  they  cherished,*  and 
thai  the  true  resurrection-body  of  Christ,  that  with 
which  He  ascended  to  heaven,  immediately  after 
Ills  crucifixion,  and  again  after  His  illusory  or  quasi 
resurrection,  on  the  third  day,  was  purely  a  spiritual 
body,  which  was  eliminated,  or  disengaged,  at  the 
moment  of  His  death.  But  the  idea  appears  impious 
that  our  risen  Lord  should  seek  to  impose  on  His 
followers,  by  temporarily  assuming  a  body,  perfectly 
nbling  His  former  one,  even  having  the  prints 
of  the  nails  by  which  it  hung  upon  the  cross,  which, 
however,  was  not  the  same,  but  an  entirely  new  and 
different  one.  ~Mq\\  may  talk  learnedly  respecting  the 
"ulterior  developments"  of  the  "essential  genius" 
of  the  Christian  economy;  but  we  must  still  believe, 
as,  it  is  admitted,  the  Apostles  believed,  w-  that  the 
body  which  they  saw  and  handled,  was  the  veritable 
body  of  their '  crucified  Lord;  and  that,  in  their 
preaching  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  they  had  no 
other  idea  than  that  of  the  reanimation  of  His  body 
of  flesh."  f  We  must  believe  that  "the  measure  of 
their  intelligence,"  on  this  subject,  is.  and  ever  must 
be,  "the  limit  of  ours."  "  Nov.",  if  Christ  be  preached 
that  IIk  rose  from  the  dead,  how  say  some  among 
you  that  there  is  no  resurrection  of  the  dead  ?  But, 
if  there  be  no  resurrection  of  the  dead,  then  is  Christ 
not  risen."     The  resurrection  of  Christ  being  estab- 

*  Bush's  Work,  p.  15G.         f  Bush. 


The    Body    Restored.  197 

listed,  the  doctrine  of  the  general  resurrection  is 
established.  "  If  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and 
rose  again,  even,  so  them,  also,  which  sleep  in  Jesus 
will  God  bring  with  Him." 

"  Our  flesh  shall  feel  a  second  birth, 
And  ever  with  Him  be." 

These  clay  tabernacles,  like  that  of  the  wilderness, 
which  was  so  constructed  that  every  joint,  socket, 
and  pin  could  be  taken  apart,  and  perfectly  put  toge- 
ther again,  although  their  parts  may  be  separated, 
and  scattered  from  one  another  after  death,  will  be 
brought  together,  and  raised  up  at  the  general 
resurrection  of  the  dead.  Let  it  be  deemed  extrava- 
gant to  describe  the  graves  opening  at  the  voice  of 
the  archangel,  and  the  trump  of  God,  and  the  bodies 
of  the  dead  coming  forth ;  let  it  be  pronounced  a 
caricature  of  the  belief  of  sensible  men.  Let  such 
preachers  as  Pres.  Davies,  and  Melvill  be  styled 
declaimers  who  indulge  in  pulpit  rhapsodizings,  and 
portray  a  scene  calculated  to  work  on  the  passions, 
but  which  has  no  foundation  in  Scriptural  truth,* 
still  we  shall  not  hesitate  to  abide  by  the  letter  of 
God's  Word,  and  describe  graves  as  opening,  at  the 
peal  of  the  last  trump, 

*        "  faithful  to  their  trust, 
To  render  back  their  long-committed  dust."f 
*  See  Bush.        f  Young. 


198  My  FATHER    S   Hoi 

"  Sure  as  that  the  Mediator  rose,  sure  as  that  He 
shall  return,  and  sit  in  awful  pomp,  on  the  judgment- 
seat,  so  sure  is  it  that  the  earth  shall  yet  heave  at 
every  pore  ;  and  that  even  had  it  received  in  deposit 
the  bodies  of  none  save  the  unrighteous  and  the 
infidel,  it  would  give  up  the  dust,  with  a  most  faithful 
accuracy ;  so  that  the  buried  would  arise  imperish- 
able ;  and  the  despisers  of  Christ,  being  of  one  flesh 
with  Him,  must  share  in  the  resurrection  of  that  flesh, 
though  not  being  of  one  spirit,  they  shall  have  no 
part  in  its  glorification."* 

AVe  are  not  to  speculate,  too  curiously,  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  resurrection-body.  "We  know,  for  we 
are  expressly  told,  that  it  will  not  be  flesh  and  blood, 
in  their  present  corruptible  state.  "Flesh  and  blood 
cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God."  A  corruptible 
body  is  not  suited  to  an  incorruptible  state.  But 
that  it  will  be,  in  some  sense,  material,  essentially 
different  from  spirit,  the  Apostle  seems  to  intimate, 
when  he  says,  in  the  same  connexion,  "  All  flesh  is 
not  the  same  flesh  ;  but  there  is  one  kind  of  flesh  of 
men,  another  flesh  of  beasts,  another  of  fishes,  and 
another  of  birds."f  The  argument  is,  that  as 
throughout  the  animal  creation,  there  is  a  great 
difference  between  the  flesh  of  the  bodies  of  one 
class  as  compared  with  that  of  another;  so,  at  the 
resurrection,  there  will  be  a  great  difference  between 
*  Melvill.  f  1  Cor.  xv.  39. 


The    Body    Restored.  199 

the  bodies  which  shall  arise,  as  compared  with  those 
that  were  committed  to  the  grave.  The  Apostle 
means  to  infer  from  the  vast  variety  of  animal  bodies, 
the  power  of  the  Deity  to  produce  from  a  mass  of 
corruption,  a  glorious  and  immortal  body.  "  It  is 
not  more  incomprehensible,"  observes  Mr.  Locke, 
"  that  a  glorious,  immortal  body  should  arise  from  a 
mass  of  corruption,  than  that  all  this  vast  variety  of 
splendid  forms  should  arise  from  nothing."  Could 
we  ascertain  the  nature  of  the  change  which  took 
place  in  the  bodies  of  Enoch  and  Elijah,  when  they 
were  translated,  or  the  nature  of  Christ's  glorious 
body,  we  should  then  know  with  what  bodies  the 
saints  will  be  raised  ;  for  Christ,  at  His  advent,  "shall 
change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like 
unto  His  glorious .  body,  according  to  the  working 
whereby  He  is  able  even  to  subdue  all  things  unto 
Himself."  In  speaking  of  his  body,  after  His 
resurrection,  our  Lord  described  it  as  material,  and 
as  bearing  the  marks  of  His  crucifixion.  He  said  to 
His  doubting  disciples,  "  Behold  my  hands  and  my 
feet,  that  it  is  I  myself;  handle  Me  and  see,  for  a 
spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones  as  ye  see  Me  have." 
With  this  body,  no  doubt,  wearing  a  brightness  and 
splendour  like  that  seen  at  His  transfiguration,  He 
ascended  into  heaven.  "When  John  had  a  vision  of 
Hra  in  Patmos,  His  countenance  was  like  the  mid- 
day sun,  and  His  feet   as  burning  brass.      Such  is 


200  My  PATH  ER;S  House. 

the  glory  that  will  be  put  upon  all  those  who  are 
raised  with  bodies  fashioned  like  unto  Christ's.  The 
Apostle  clearly  states  the  peculiar  properties  of  the 
glorified  body:  1.  Incorruptibility.  2.  Glory.  3. 
Power.  4.  Spirituality.  To  speak  of  a  spiritual 
body  would  be  solecistical,  unless  we  understand  the 
word  spiritual  in  a  peculiar  sense.  But  as  matter 
enters  into  the  composition  of  a  sunbeam  as  well  as 
into  that  of  metal,  it  is  easy  to  conceive  of  the  power 
of  God  as  so  refining  the  bodies  of  saints,  that  they 
may  be  said  to  be  spiritual.  How  "  etherial  must 
those  bodies  be,  which,  will  need  neither  food,  nor 
rest,  and  will  never  experience  pain  or  fatigue,"* 
But  we  are  not  to  speculate  too  curiously.  "  It  is 
sufficient  for  us  to  be  assured  that  the  bodies  of  the 
righteous  will  be  raised  in  a  spiritualized  state,  and 
yet  be,  in  a  certain  sense,  the  same  with  those  that 
were  buried."f  As  the  body  never  loses  its  identity, 
or  its  general  characteristical  appearance,  by  the 
changes  which  it  undergoes  in  this  life,  we  may  infer 
that  the  resurrection-body,  whatever  glory  and 
beauty  may  adorn  it,  will  be  recognized  to  be  the 
same  that  died  and  was  buried.  Change  of  matter, 
will  not  destroy  identity  and  similarity. 

It  is  in  this  precious  faith,  that  we  have  borne  the 
remains  of  some  of  our  friends  to  their  rest- — and 
have  been  supported,  if  not  comforted,  as  we  per- 

*  Dr.  John  Dick.  f  BloomfieUVs  Notes. 


Thk    Body    He a roREB.  201 

formed  for  them  the  last  mournful  offices.  The 
graves  of  those  whom  we  loved,  plead  for  the  doc- 
trine of  the  resurrection;  and  shall  our  tongues 
be  silent?  If  these  should  hold  their  peace,  it 
would  not  prevent  the  very  graves  from  crying 
out.  The  dry  leaves  of  autumn,  and  the  snows 
of  winter  may  fall  over  them ;  but  spring  will 
return  with  its  leaves,  its  blossoms,  and  its  birds ; — 
the  rivulet  will  again  leap  in  gladness,  and  the 
breeze  waft  odours  of  May.  Be  still,  throbbing 
heart,  be  still ! 


9* 


202  My    FATHER'S    IIouse 


XII. 

RELATION  OF  THE   JUDGMENT   TO  HEAVEN. 

THE  resurrection  past,  there  is  one  farther  stage, 
before  the  members  of  the  invisible  church  >hall 
enter  upon  the  enjoyment  of  perfect  and  full  com- 
munion with  Christ,  in  glory.  The  first  sight  upon 
which,  at  the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  the  trump 
of  God,  they  shall  open  their  immortal  eyes,  will  be 
the  form  of  the  Son  of  Man,  coming  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven.  The  first  sound  that  shall  break  from  their 
immortal  lips,  will  be  to  welcome  His  advent  in 
joyful,  triumphant  strains — "  Lo,  this  is  our  God,  we 
have  waited  for  Him  ;  He  comes  to  save  us."  He 
will  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  attended  by  His 
holy  angels.  The  trumpet  shall  break,  with  startling 
sound,  and  echoing  through  the  universe,  shall  pene- 
trate every  tomb,  enter  the  cold,  dull  ear  of  the  dead, 
and  waken  them  from  their  long  repose.  Behold, 
the  Son  of  Man  coming,  in  power  and  great  glory, 
to  judge,  the  nations  of  the  earth!     See  the  golden 


Relation-    of   the    Judgment    to    Heaven.    203 

crown  upon  His  head,  and  the  great  white  throne  on 
which  He  sits !  Behold,  He  comes,  who  was  once 
the  babe  of  Bethlehem  ;  for  whom  no  room  conld 
be  found  in  the  inn ;  who  was  laid  in  the  manger, 
despised  and  rejected  by  men !  Behold,  He  comes 
for  whose  destruction,  the  sword  of  a  tyrant  was 
besmeared  with  the  blood  of  the  innocents!  He 
comes,  who  was  hurried,  by  night,  to  His  sanctuary 
in  Egypt!  He  comes,  who  toiled,  for  years,  at  a 
trade,  in  His  obscure  home,  in  Galilee !  Who  some- 
times fled  from  the  stones  which  enraged  men  were 
ready  to  hurl  at  Him  !  Who  suffered  the  contradic- 
tion of  sinners !  Who  groaned  in  spirit,  and  wept  at 
the  grave  of  a  friend  !  Who,  sometimes,  was- hungry 
and  athirst !  Who  fell  down  to  the  ground,  praying, 
and  sweating,  as  it  were,  great  drops  of  blood, 
His  soul  "  exceeding  sorrowful,"  even  unto  death ! 
Behold,  He  comes,  who  once  stood  before  Pilate's 
and  Herod's  bar,  mocked  and  buffeted !  Who  sunk 
exhausted  under  the  tree  which  He  bore  on  His  way 
to  Golgotha !  Who  hung  on  Calvary's  cross,  crying 
out,  "My  God,  my  God  !"  and  when  He  yielded  up 
His  spirit,  "  It  is  finished  !"  Whose  dead  body,  in  the 
sepulchre,  was  insulted  by  the  great  stone  with  which 
His  enemies  barricaded  the  door,  and  the  Roman 
cohort,  who  were  set  to  guard  it !  He  comes  !  But 
not,  now,  under  a  cloud  of  weakness  and  infirmity ; 
not,  now,  to  be  made  sin,  but  without  sin,  unto  salva- 


204  My    FATHER'S    House. 

tion.  In  the  clouds  of  heaven  He  comes ;  not  to  suffer 
and  to  die,  but  to  judge  the  world.  "Behold  He 
cometh  in  clouds,  and  every  eye  shall  see  Htm  ;  and 
they,  also,  which  pierced  Him;  and  all  the  kindreds 
of  the  earth  shall  wail  because  of  Him."  "  Behold, 
the  Lord  cometh,  with  ten  thousand  of  His  saints,  to 
execute  judgment  upon  all,  to  convince  all  that  are 
ungodly  among  them  of  all  their  ungodly  deeds, 
which  they  have  ungodly  committed,  and  of  all  their 
hard  speeches  which  ungodly  sinners  have  spoken 
against  Hni."  Every  eye  shall  see  Him.  Those 
who  persecuted  Him  :  the  Herod,  who  sought  His 
life,  whose  fierce  executioners  slew  without  pity, 
owning  not  even  the  sanctity  of  the  tomb,  shall  see 
Him  ;  the  men  of  Nazareth,  who  took  up  stones  to 
hurl  at  Him,  shall  see  Him  ;  the  Jewish  priests  and 
rulers,  who  plotted  His  death ;  Judas  who  betrayed 
Hem  ;  Antipas,  who  set  Him  at  naught ;  and  Pilate 
who  condemned  Him  ;  the  tyrant's  minions,  who  put 
on  Hem  the  cast-off  kingly  raiment,  forcing  a  reed  into 
His  hand,  in  mockery  of  a  sceptre ;  who  smote  Hem 
and  cried  out,  "  Hail,  king  of  the  Jews ;"  the  men 
who  scourged  Hem,  at  the  command  of  the  Roman 
governor,  and  compelled  Hem  to  bear  His  own  cross, 
till  He  fainted  beneath  the  burden  ;  who  stood  over 
His  body  and  forced  the  nails  through  His  hands  and 
feet,  and  the  soldier  who  pierced  His  side  with  a 
spear ; — these,  all  these,  shall  see  Him. 


Relation    of    the    Judgment    to    Heaven.    20a 

We,  too,  shall  hear  the  archangel's  summons  ;  and 
wherever  our  dust  may  be  reposing,  whether  in  the 
silent  grave-yard  of  our  native  village,  or  in  some 
lonely  spot,  on  strange  and  distant  shores,  or  in  the 
bottom  of  the  sea,  it  shall  be  obedient  to  that  voice. 
Every  charnel  shall  disgorge  itself  of  its  tenants. 
"  Myriads  upon  myriads  of  atoms,  the  dust  of  king- 
doms, the  ashes  of  all  that  have  lived — not  a  solitary 
particle  but  holds  itself  ready,  at  the  sound  of  the 
last  trumpet,  to  combine  itself  with  a  multitude  of 
others,  in  a  human  body,  in  which  they  once  met, 
perhaps  a  thousand  years  before."  Monarchs  and 
princes,  who  were  carried  to  their  sepulchres  in  state ; 
poets,  orators,  and  statesmen,  and  the  crowds  who 
died  unknown  to  fame  ;  and  the  wretched  children 
of  woe,  the  beggar,  the  outcast,  and  the  slave — shall 
all  come  alike,  without  any  marks  of  distinction ;  the 
king  unsceptred  and  uncrowned  ;  the  beggar,  without 
his  tatters,  the  scholar  without  his  laurels,  and  the 
slave  without  his  chain.  And  while  the  dead  are 
rising  from  their  graves,  the  living  shall  be  changed  ; 
in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  they  shall 
drop  corruption,  and  put  on  incorruption  ;  they  shall 
drop  a  mortal  body,  and  put  on  an  immortal  one. 
All  nations,  the  ancient,  the  modern,  the  less  as  well 
as  the  more  powerful,  the  small  and  the  great,  shall 
stand  before  God.  The  entire  race  of  Adam  will 
be  there ;  all  who  have  lived,  in  every  age.     They 


206  Mr    FATHER'S    House. 

shall  come  from  every  region,  from  the  North  and 
the  South,  from  the  East  and  the  West,  from  the 
Equator  and  the  Poles,  the  Barbarian,  the  Scythian, 
the  bond,  the  free.  The  sea  shall  give  up  the  dead 
which  arc  in  it.  Well  may  it  be  called,  as  it  is,  in 
Scripture,  "  The  Great  Day."  It  has  been  appointed, 
for  the  manifestation  and  the  glory  of  God's  mercy 
and  justice,  in  His  rewarding  men,  according  to  the 
deeds  done  in  the  body. 

One  great  purpose  of  the  last  judgment  is,  that 
the  righteous  may  be  acquitted,  and  acknowledged,  in 
the  presence  of  the  universe,  before  they  enter  upon 
their  full,  eternal  reward ;  and  are  made  perfectly 
happy  and  holy,  both  in  body  and  soul,  in  the  pre- 
sence of  God.  The  first  sight  upon  which  they  will 
open  their  immortal  eyes,  as  I  have  said,  will  be  the 
glorious  form  of  the  blessed  Saviour,  coming  in  the 
clouds  with  His  holy  angels.  With  the  saints,  who 
may  be  alive  on  the  earth,  and  who  shall  be  spec- 
tators of  the  scenes  and  wonders  of  the  resurrection 
— with  these  saints,  changed  to  immortals,  they  shall 
be  caught  up  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the 
air.  They  shall  see  the  world  on  fire,  and  hear  the 
great  noise  in  which  the  elements  shall  melt,  and  the 
heavens  be  dissolved.  And  while  the  conflagration 
is  going  on,  and  they  see  afar  off  the  smoke  of  the 
earth's  burning,  the  judgment  shall  proceed.  The 
Judge  shall  separate  the  assembled  nations  before 


Relation    of    the    Judgment    to    Heaven.    207 

Him,  "as  a  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep  from  the 
goats  ;  and  He  shall  set  the  sheep  on  His  right  hand, 
ami  the  goats  on  the  left."  "We  should  not  fritter 
away  the  meaning,  or  the  impressive  import  of 
Scripture,  by  deciding  in  advance,  that  its  descrip- 
tions of  the  resurrection,  the  judgment-day,  and  the 
scenes  of  an  eternal  state,  are  in  every  case  neces- 
sarily figurative.  Nothing  is  more  clearly  revealed 
than  that  Christ  is  to  come,  in  person,  a  second  time, 
to  this  world.  What  could  be  more  suitable  to  the 
dignity  and  grandeur  of  that  advent  than  that  He 
should  come  literally  "  throned  upon  a  cloud."  He 
ascended  in  a  cloud  ;  and  it  was  foretold  that  He 
should  come  in  like  manner.  And  why  may  we  not 
suppose  that  the  words  of  the  Son  of  Man  will  be 
literally  fulfilled,  by  the  righteous  being  set  on  the 
right  hand,  and  the  wicked  on  the  left?  While  we 
are  not  to  suppose  that  all  the  formalities  of  a  human 
court,  are  to  be  observed,  at  the  grand  assize  of  the 
world  ;  neither  are  we  to  suppose  that  formalities,  on 
that  august  occasion,  are  to  be  entirely  dispensed 
with.  Among  the  books  to  be  opened  will  be  the 
book  of  life — the  book  which  records  God's  gracious 
purposes  towards  all  who  believe,  and  where  their 
names  are  written — and  it  is  out  of  this  that  the 
saints  will  be  judged ;  or  it  is  out  of  this  that  He 
will  reveal  the  names  of  the  followers  of  the  Lamb. 
It  is  not  out  of  the  book  of  the  law,  as  the  rule  of 


208  Mr    FATHER'S    House. 

justification  or  condemnation,  that  they  will  be 
judged.  The  Judge  is  their  Friend.  He  once 
obeyed  ihe  law,  and  suffered  its  penalty;  and  they 
have  been  delivered  from  its  condemning  power,  by 
faith  in  Him  ;  they  have  put  on  the  white  and  spot- 
less robe  of  His  righteousness,  and  in  that,  they 
appear  before  His  bar,  and  find  their  place  at  His 
right  hand.  It  is,  therefore,  not  out  of  the  book  of 
the  law  that  they  will  be  tried  ;  but  the  question  will 
be,  Avhether  they  possess  that  faith,  which  justifies 
sinners,  without  which,  it  is  impossible  to  please  God, 
or  obtain  salvation.  How  it  softens  the  terrors  of  the 
judgment  to  believers,  when  we  reflect  that  He  who 
sits  on  the  throne,  is  the  same  who  once  hung  on  the 
cross,  who  answered  the  dying  malefactor's  prayer, 
and  prayed  for  his  murderers!  He  is  the  Sox  of 
Man.  He  is  to  judge  human  beings,  who,  while 
upon  probation,  were  exposed  to  temptation,  were 
subject  to  a  perfect  law,  and  liable  to  punishment, 
for  any  want  of  conformity  unto,  or  transgression  of, 
that  perfect  law.  He  will  be  fitted  to  render  impar- 
tial justice  to  all.  No  plea  or  excuse  founded  on  the 
power  of  temptation,  or  human  imperfection,  the 
strength  of  sinful  passions,  and  corrupt  propensities, 
or  inability  to  obey  the  divine  law,  will  be  admitted; 
all  will  stand  speechless  before  that  Judge,  who,  while 
He  dwelt  in  human  flesh,  in  His  own  person,  and 
example,   demonstrated    that    God    has   not    given 


Relation    of   the    Judgment    to    Heaven.    209 

men  a  law  which  they  cannot  obey,  nor  placed  them 
in  circumstances,  which  release  them  from  the  obli- 
gations to  obedience.  The  only  plea,  which  will 
avail  ns  before  that  dread  tribunal,  is,  that  we  have 
laid  hold  upon  the  righteousness  of  our  Redeemer 
and  Judge,  and  have  made  it  our  "  white  linen,"  our 
robe  and  covering,  to  appear  in  His  presence.  It  is 
remarkable  that,  in  the  Scriptures,  when  Christ  is 
spoken  of  as  the  Judge  of  the  world,  there  are  so 
many  references  to  His  human  nature.  A  Man  hath 
been  ordained,  before  whom  men  must  appear.  The 
glorified  body  with  which  the  Judge  will  appear, 
will  be  the  same  with  which  He  ascended,  and  was 
exalted,  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father. 

But  the  Lord  Jesus  would  not  be  fitted  for  the 
high  office  of  the  Judge  of  quick  and  dead,  unless 
He  appeared  also  as  Divine  Being,  Hence,  He  will 
come  clothed  with  all  the  attributes  of  God.  The 
God-man  will  fill  the  throne.  "With  what  lustre  will 
infinite  compassion  shine  forth  in  His  character ! 
What  an  exhibition  of  His  love,  and  the  power  of 
His  grace  will  be  made,  when  the  multitude,  who 
shall  stand  upon  His  right  hand,  are  welcomed  with 
shouts  and  praises,  into  the  courts  of  glory !  Even 
those  who  are  sent  away  into  outer  darkness,  will 
suffer  from  no  arbitrary  or  cruel  decree.  The  Son  of 
God  will  possess  the  most  perfect  knowledge  of  all 
accountable  creatures.     The  wisest  and  most  impar- 


210  My    FATHER'S    Hu' 

tiaJ  judge,  among  men,  whatever  inquiries  lie  may 
have  instituted,  with  whatever  zeal  and  care  he  may 
search  out  and  sift  evidence,  may  commit  mistakes  ; 
may  condemn  the  innocent,  may  clear  the  guilty. 
But  there  can  be  no  possibility  of  mistake  at  the  bar 
of  Christ.  Men  may  now  profess  faith  in  Jim,  may 
studiously  keep  up  the  form  of  godliness,  may  even 
acquire  a  signal  reputation  for  sanctity,  whose  cha- 
racters will  appear  in  a  vastly  different  light,  in  the 
day  of  judgment;  who  will  be  found  without  the 
righteousness  of  the  saints,  and  instead  of  standing 
exulting,  on  the  right  hand,  will  be  seen  trembling 
on  the  left.  No  false  estimates  will  be  made  then  ; 
all  will  be  weighed  in  unerring  balances.  Such  is 
the  character  of  the  Judge.  The  universe — not  only 
holy  beings,  but  unholy — will  have  entire  confidence 
in  the  rectitude  of  His  decisions,  and  respond  to  the 
angel,  crying  from  beneath  the  altar,  "True  and 
righteous  are  thy  judgments,  Lord  God  Almighty." 
"Were  it  proposed  to  their  suffrage,  they  would 
not  transfer  their  destinies — nay,  would  shrink  with 
dismay  at  such  a  proposal,  were  it  made— to  the 
hands  of  the  wisest  and  purest  judge,  or  to  a  bench 
of  the  wisest  and  purest  judges  that  ever  graced 
human  tribunals. 

Christ  will  sit  upon  the  throne  of  Judgment,  not  to 
make  inquiry  for  His  own  satisfaction,  whether  the 
saints  on  His  right  hand  have  fulfilled  or  transgressed 


Relation    of    the    Judgment    to    Heaven.    211 

the  law ;  or,  even,  whether  they  possess  that  precious 
faith  which  justifies  sinners,  for  He  knows  their 
hearts  already  ;  and  He  wrought  that  faith  and  all 
that  good  which  will  be  found  in  them.  But  lit: 
will  make  inquisition,  He  will  judge  the  saints,  that 
He  may  vindicate  His  law,  make  a  full  development 
of  the  principles  of  moral  government,  and  convince 
all  that  it  is  not,  by  an  arbitrary  decision,  that  heaven 
is  allotted  ro  them,  and  not  to  others.  Evidence  will 
be  exhibited,  on  their  trial,  of  "  the  validity  of  their 
title ;  and  this  evidence  will  be  furnished  by  their 
works."  "Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on 
His  right  hand,  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father, 
inherit  the  kingdom  prepared,  for  you,  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world  ;  for  I  was  a  hungered  and 
ye  gave  Me  meat ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  Me 
drink;  I  was  a  stranger  and  ye  took  Me  in ;  naked, 
and  ye  clothed  Me  ;  I  was  sick  and  ye  visited  Me  ; 
I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  Me.  Then  shall 
the  righteous  answer  Him,  saying,  Lord,  when  saw 
we  Thee  a  hungered,  and  fed  Thee?  or  thirsty,  and 
gave  Thee  drink  ?  when  saw  we  Thee  a  stranger  and 
took  Thee  in?  or  naked,  and  clothed  Thee?  or  when 
saw  we  Thee  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  came  unto  Thee? 
And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them, 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it 
unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have 
done  it  unto  Me."     "  For  we  must  all  appear  before 


212  My    FATHER'S    House. 

the  judgment  seat  of  Christ :  that  every  one  may 
receive  the  things  done  in  his  body,  according  to 

that   he   hath  done,  whether   it   be   g 1    or  bad." 

The  Word  of  God  speaks  ont  very  plainly  on  this 
subject;  it  does  not  leave  it  in  the  dark.  It  shows 
us  how  important  works  are — how  little  ground  the 
Antinomian  has  on  winch  to  build  his  hope  of  heaven. 
God,  in  His  righteous  judgment,  "  will  render  to 
every  man  according  to  his  deeds  ;  to  them  who,  by 
patient  continuance  in  well  doing,  seek  for  glory,  and 
honour,  and  immortality,  Eternal  Life."  What- 
soever a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap." 
"  Behrtld,  I  come  quickly  ;"  saith  the  faithful  and 
true  Witness,  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega;  "and  my 
reward  is  with  Me,  to  give  every  man,  according  as 
his  work  shall  be."  Let  no  one.  then,  vainly  suppose 
that  the  grace  of  Christ  will,  or  can,  so  abound  as  to 
dispense  with  a  life  made  conformable  to  God's  pre- 
ceptive will ;  that  it  can  hide  an  immoral,  careless, 
prayerless,  unfruitful  life.  In  the  day  of  judgment 
inquisition  will  certainly  be  made  for  works,  not  as 
the  foundation  of  our  title  to  heaven,  but  as  evidence 
that  we  possess  that  precious  faith,  which  makes 
the  righteousness  of  Christ  ours ;  which  is  the  only 
foundation  given  under  heaven  and  among  men.  It 
is  by  works  that  our  faith  is  made  perfect,  and  will  be 
made  to  issue  in  the  perfect  felicity  of  an  unclouded 
vision.     Good  works  are  so  necessarily  the  fruit  of 


Relation  ok  the  Judgment  to  Heaven.  213 

saving  faith,  that  without  them  there  is  no  evidence, 
no  sign  of  this  faith.  Works  arc  made  thus  promi- 
nent, in  the  last  great  trial,  not  because  men  are 
saved  by  works,  or  merit,  but  because  they  are  the 
proofs  that  believers  are  believers,  or  are  the  persons 
whose  faith  wrought  by  love,  and  was  not  a  dead, 
inoperative  principle;  and  who  are,  therefore,  entitled, 
by  the  sentence  of  the  Judge,  to  eternal  life.  And, 
O  consider,  what  prominence  will,  on  that  day,  be 
given  to  works  of  charity.  "Words  of  devotion  may 
be  uttered,  without  a  devotional  heart.  Some  works 
may  lie  easily  simulated.  But  works  of  charity  are 
palpable  ;  they  are  something  more  than  words — 
something  more  than  kind  actions  ;  they  imply  a 
readiness  to  part  with  some  of  our  possessions  ;  they 
may  involve  self-denial  ;  they  imply  love  to  our 
brethren.  But  mistake  not  here  again.  Call  not 
every  dole  such  a  deed  of  charity,  as  Judgment  will 
"publish,  publish  to  more  worlds  than  this."  It 
may  have  come  from  a  grudging  hand,  to  save 
appearances,  or  because  custom  made  the  demand. 
Our  deeds  of  charity  must  be  in  obedience  to  Christ, 
and  in  honour  of  Christ,  then  will  they  pass  for  signs 
of  our  faith ;  and  it  will  be  said  in  that  day,  "  Inas- 
much as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of 
these,  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me."  We 
must  learn  to  discover  and  to  serve  our  Elder 
Brother,   in   our   brethren,  if  we  would  hear  from 


214  My    FATHER'S  House. 

His    lips    the    word,    "  Come    ye    blessed    of   My 
Father." 

But,  honoured  as  the  saints  will  be,  by  the  appro- 
bation of  their  Judge,  standing  at  His  right  hand; 
invited  to  inherit  1  he  kingdom;  clothed  upon  with 
immortality,  with  a  body  like  unto  Christ's  glorious 
body — they  will  not  forget,  and  the  assembled 
universe  will  know,  that  they  were  once  sinners,  who 
deserved  to  stand  rather  on  His  left  hand,  and  to 
hear  the  fearful  sentence,  "Depart,  ye  cursed,  into 
everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  Devil  and  his 
angels,"  but  who  were  pardoned  through  the  divine 
mercy  of  their  Judge.  What  an  astonishing  display 
of  grace  will  this  be,  before  the  assembly  of  angels 
and  men ;  grace 

"  Not  to  be  thought  on.  but  with  tides  of  joy  ; 
Not  to  be  mentioned,  but  with  shouts  of  praise." 

Often  have  these  exalted  ones  doubted,  amidst 
the  darkness  and  imperfections  of  this  present 
state,  whether  they  had  any  title  to  the  favour  of 
God  ;  it  has  been  doubted,  too,  by  others ;  by  some 
it  has  been  disputed,  and  their  religion  been  pro- 
nounced hypocrisy ;  and  calumnious  charges  have 
been  alleged  against  them  ;  and,  by  others  still,  they 
have  been  ridiculed  and  despised,  for  their  sobriety 
and  strictness.  But  the  last,  the  great  day,  will  lift  a 
weight  from  many  a  burdened,  fearful  spirit,  will 


Relation    of   the    Judgment   to   Heaven.    215 

vindicate  the  character  of  the  aspersed,  and  put  an 
end,  for  ever,  to  these  suspicions  and  accusations. 
Behold  them  crowned  with  diadems  of  glory,  bearing 
each  his  part,  in  adoring  the  triumphs  of  their 
glorious  Lord  and  Redeemer.  Behold  them  exalted 
to  the  high  honour  of  joining  with  Christ  in  judging 
reprobate  angels  and  men  ;*  they  have  a  place  as 
assessors  on  the  judgment-seat  with  him ;  and  when 
the  judgment  is  over,  they  make  their  triumphant 
entry  into  heaven,  they  "  go  away  into  everlasting 
life." 

It  needs  to  be  added  that  the  "Word  of  God  does 
not  make  us  acquainted  with  the  precise  time  of 
Christ's  second  advent.  It  expressly  declares  that  of 
that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man.  "Whether  the 
world  is  to  last  a  longer,  or  shorter  period,  than  it 
already  has,  we  are  unable  to  decide.  We  only 
know  that  it  will  continue  long  enough,  for  all  the 
Scriptural. prophecies  to  be  fulfilled.  It  is,  probably, 
true,  that  the  judgment  is  not  afar  off;  it  is  a  delu- 
sion of  ours,  which  puts  it  at  a  great  distance.  In  an 
important  sense,  the  day  of  death  will  be,  to  every 
man,  a  day  of  judgment.  And  the  flight  of  years, 
so  rapid  to  spirits  that  have  left  the  scenes  of  time 
that  a  thousand  years  may  seem  to  them  but  as  a 
single  day,  will  soon  bring  the  resurrection  and  the 
general  judgment  to  pass.  God  would  "have  that 
*  1  Cor.  vi.  2,  3. 


216  My    FATHER'S    Hoi 

day  unknown  to  men  that  they  may  shake  off  all 
carnal  security,  and  be  always  watchful,  because 
they  know  not  at  what  hour  the  Lord  will  come,  and 
may  he  ever  prepared  to  say,  "  Come,  Lord  Jesus, 
come  quickly."* 

It  has  been  shown  how  important  is  the  relation 
which  the  final  judgment  bears,  in  the  Christian 
system,  to  the  finished  and  everlasting  state  of  bles- 
sedness of  the  righteous,  in  heaven.  When  the  awful 
transactions  of  that  day  are  ended,  the  redeemed  shall 
accompany  their  Lord  and  Saviour,  into  heaven, 
-'Where  they  shall  be  fully  and  for  ever  freed  from 
all  sin  and  misery  ;  filled  with  inconceivable  joys, 
made  perfectly  holy  and  happy  both  in  body  and 
soul,  in  the  company  of  innumerable  saints  and 
angels,  but  especially  in  the  immediate  vision  and 
fruition  of  God  the  Father,  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  of  the  LToly  Spirit,  to  all  eternity.  And  this  is 
the  perfect  and  full  communion,  which  the  members 
of  the  invisible  church  shall  enjoy  with  Christ  in 
glory,  at  the  resurrection  and  day  of  judgment."! 

What  great  things  are  these,  which  arc  foretold  ? 
And  soon,  very  soon,  these  things  which  are  now 
dimly  discerned,  by  the  eye  of  faith,  will  be  realized; 
and  every  humble  saint  shall  appear  with  Christ  in 
glory,  and  enter  into  the  full  fruition  of  God,  the 
Father. 

*  West.  Couf.  of  Faith,  xxxiii.  3.        t  Larg.  Cat.  Ques.  90. 


An  (»  K  L  -  C  0  M  TAX  I  0  -\  3 


217 


XIII. 
AHGEL-COMPAfflONS. 

THE  society  of  heaven  is  one  of  the  elements  of  its 
blessedness.  It  is  not  unnatural,  nor  improper 
for  us  to  inquire,  Who  will  be  there  ?  Whom  shall 
we  meet  there  ? 

There  is  an  order  of  beings  intermediate  between 
us  and  our  Creator.  They  are  angels  ;  and,  as  they 
are  numerous,  they  constitute  no  inconsiderable  part 
of  the  society  of  the  Blessed.  Scripture  seems  clearly 
to  imply  that  all  angels  were  once  holy,  and  had 
their  probation  ;  but  part  of  them  fell.  This  proba- 
tion, the  hopeless  apostasy  of  those  who  had  sinned, 
and  the  confirmation  of  the  obedient  in  holiness, 
appear  to  have  preceded  the  creation  of  man  ;  for  it 
was  through  the  temptation  of  the  prince  of  these 
fallen  spirits  that  our  first  parents  were  led  into  sin,* 
They  did  not  always  exist ;  but,  having  been  created, 
they  will  live  for  ever.  They  will  share  immortality 
with  the  race  of  man. 

*  John,  viii.  44  ;  Jude,  6  ;  Rev.  xii.  9  ;  Gen.  iii. 
10 


218  Mr    FATHER'S    House. 

Our  Lord,  in  speaking  of  the  everlasting  felicity 
of  the  righteous,  likens  them  to  the  holy  angels : 
••  Neither  can  they  die  any  more:  for  they  arc- 
equal  unto  the  angels ;  and  are  the  children  of  God 
being  the  children  of  the  resurrection."-  Just  as  the 
existence  of  the  souls  of  men,  and  the  immortality  of 
the  heavenly  body  depend  on  the  will  of  the  Creator, 
so  does  the  existence  of  angels.  They  too  are  depend- 
ent on  Him  who  made  them,  for  the  perpetuity  of  their 
being.  In  Him  they  must  for  ever  live  and  move. 
We  may  not  be  able  to  settle  the  question  whether 
they  are  pure  or  embodied  spirits ;  but  this  we 
know,  that  if  it  shall  be  requisite  to  fellowship  with 
them,  on  the  part  of  men,  who  "  obtain  that  world, 
and  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,"  that  they  should 
possess  corporeal  vehicles,  the  Divine  Being,  if  He 
has  not  already  done  it,  will  furnish  them  with  these 
forms. 

"We  know  that  they  are  beings  of  great  intelli- 
gence. They  were  created  with  faculties  in  perfect 
maturity,  and  superior  to  those  of  man,  when  in  his 
best  or  unfallenstate.  f  Their  original  capacities  have 
been  expanding  and  strengthening  in  vigour  and 
activity  ever  since.  They  have  resided  in  a  world 
where  there  is  no  night;  where  the  perceptions  of 
the  mind  are  clear  ;  where  truth  reigns  without  any 
admixture  of    error ;    where   moral   evil   exerts  no 

*  Luke,  xx.  36.  fPs.  viii.5. 


A  N  G  E  I.  -  C  0  M  P  A  X  I  0  N  S  .  "19 

obscuring  influence ;  where  the  plans  of  Providence 
are  unfolded,  and  tlie  Divine  perfections  arc  dis- 
closed ;  where,  in  worship,  in  studies,  or  in  ministries 
of  love,  their  activity  has  known  no  cessation.  For 
thousands  of  years  they  have  surveyed  the  works  of 
creation,  in  their  vastness  and  variety.  Still,  they 
are  beings  of  finite  intelligence.  Their  knowledge  is 
limited  and  progressive  ;  it  is  not  that  which  extends 
to  the  secrets  of  men's  hearts,  and  is  a  prerogative 
alone  of  Deity ;  it  must  be  infinitely  short  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Divine  Mind. 

They  are  perfectly  holy  beings.  They  were 
created  holy  ;  and,  from  the  first  moment  of  their 
existence,  they  have  been  employed  in  admiring  the 
holiness  of  God,  and  rendering  obedience  to  His  will. 
They  cover  their  faces  with  their  wings,  and  cry, 
Holy,  Holt,  HOLY !  They  fly  swift  as  the  morning- 
light,  to  execute  His  commands  ;  and  every  emotion 
of  their  minds  is  in  perfect  harmony  with. His  will. 
They  are  in  the  presence  of  Jehovah,  and  "see  His 
face."  They  belong  to  the  number  of  those  who  are 
"pure  in  heart,"  and  who  "see  God."  They  are 
confirmed  in  this  state  of  holiness,  for  ever.  They 
can  never  sin,  even  as  they  can  never  die.  They 
shall  never  be  excluded  from  the  blissful  presence. 
"While  they  have  always  been  holy,  it  does  not 
appear  that  they  have  always  been  in  this  confirmed, 
everlasting   state   of   holiness.     As    some    of   their 


220  My    PATH  E  R'S    Hoi  be. 

associates  sinned  and  fell,  we  arc  left  to  infer  that 
they,  too,  were  once  upon  trial,  and  might  have 
sinned  ;  but  they  resisted  the  temptation  of  the 
Prince  of  Darkness,  and  as  a  reward  of  their  stead- 
fastness, are  now  placed  beyond  the  reach  of  tempta- 
tion, or  the  possibility  of  sinning.  Sin  can  never 
invade  or  approach  the  purity  of  their  sonls.  He 
who  made  them,  and  to  whom  they  have  maintained 
a  faithful  allegiance,  has  purposed  to  keep  them, 
for  ever.  They  are  His  "  elect  angels,"  and  have 
been  admitted  to  the  beatific  vision ;  to  which  wc 
may  not  presume  that  they  were  admitted  previous 
to  the  close  of  their  probation. 

The  same  heaven  to  which  redeemed  men  are 
admitted  is  their  everlasting  home.  They  are  our 
Father's  children;  and  they  are  in  our  "Father's 
house."  While  they  are  not  redeemed  sinners, 
redemption,  nevertheless,  is  to  them  a  source  of 
unfailing  bliss.  They  look  into  it,  with  intense  and 
earnest  gaze  ;  they  learn  the  manifold  wisdom  of 
God,*  by  the  church ;  the  wonderful  scheme  of 
salvation  to  men,  through  Christ,  is  presented  to 
them,  crowned  with  an  ineffable  glory.  It  is  their 
interest  in  the  work  of  redemption,  which  will 
constitute  the  unfailing  bond  of  union  and  sympathy 
between  them,  and  the  spirits  of  just  men,  made 
perfect.  Holy  angels  and  redeemed  saints,  while  it 
*  Eph.  iii.  10. 


A  SGEL-COMPA  X  ION's.  #  221 

is  impossible  that  they  should  stand  in  precisely  the 
same  relation  to  Christ,  will,  nevertheless,  form  one 
united,  homogeneous  society.     They  have,  and  can 
have,  no   discordant  or  rival  interests.     They  adore 
the  same  glorious  Jehovah ;    and  while  the  angels 
cannot,  in  precisely  the  same  sense  as  the  others,  sing 
the  song — "  Now  unto  Him  that  washed  us  in  His 
own  blood,"  they  have  the  same  joys;  and,  doubtless, 
engage  in  many  of  the  same  employments.     Indeed, 
Scripture    seems    to   intimate   that   the    angels    are 
indebted  for  the  stability  of  their  state  of  holiness  to 
the  Son  of  God,  the  same  Being  to  whom  they  are 
indebted  for  their  creation,  and  to  whom  ransomed 
sinners   are   indebted   for   their  redemption.      "  By 
Him  were  all  things  created,  that  are  in  heaven,  and 
that  are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether  they 
be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or  powers  :  all  things  were 
created  by  Him  and  for  Him  :"  and  then  it  is  added 
in  the  immediate  context,  "  And  having  made  peace 
through   the   blood   of   His    cross    (it    pleased    the 
Father),  by  Him  to  reconcile  all  things  unto  Himself; 
by  Him,  I  say,  whether  they  be  things  in  earth,  or 
things  in  heaven."*     The  word  translated  to  reconcile 
sometimes  means  to  conciliate,  or  effect  a  mutual 
peace,  and  thus  to  draw  into  society  ;  and  in  this 
passage,  in  reference  to  the  "  things  in  heaven,"  or 
angels,  may  have  this   meaning ;    and   therefore  it 
*  Col.  i.  16.  20. 


222  ,  Mr  FATHER'S    House. 

may  teach  more  than  that  amity  was  restored 
between  men  and  angels,  by  the  blood  of  the  cross, 
by  the  reconcilement  of  man  to  his  Maker,  so  that 
they  might  worship  God,  as  one  society,  under  one 
Head:  that  is  to  say,  it  may  teach,  that,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  death  of  Christ,  angels  are  secured  in 
everlasting  felicity  and  holiness,  beyond  the  perad- 
venture  of  apostasy.  "It  seems  designed  for  the 
Redeemer's  more  consummate  glory,"  remarks  that 
eminently  suggestive  writer,  John  Howe,  "  that  the 
perpetual  stability  of  the  heavenly  state  should  be 
owing  to  Him,  and  to  the  most  inestimable  value  of 
His  oblation  on  the  cross  ;  that  it  should  be  put  upon 
His  account,  and  ascribed  to  the  high  merit  of  His 
pacificatory  sacrifice,  that  the  angels  continue  in 
obedience  and  favour,  for  ever.  He  made  sure  of  the 
everlasting  amity  of  those  who  were  always  dutiful 
in  heaven,  and  recovered  the  good  will  and  loyal 
affection  of  such  on  earth  as  were  at  enmity,  and  all 
by  the  same  means — the  virtue  and  fragrancy  of  a 
sacrifice,  sufficient  to  fill  heaven  and  earth  with  its 
grateful  odour,  and  whose  efficacy  can  never  decrease, 
to  all  eternity.  Nor  does  it  follow  that  it  was  the 
design  of  the  atonement  to  have  reference  to  the 
redemption  of  angels,  who  had  never  sinned,  and 
whose  nature  the  Redeemer  took  not  on  Him  ;  but, 
from  the  redundancy  of  His  merit,  this  inestimable 
advantage,  viz.  the  stability  of  their  holy  state,  may 


Angel- Companions.  223 

well  be  supposed  to  accrue  to  them ;  and  for  the 
greater  honour  of  the  Redeemer,  they  are  made 
debtors  to  lira  for  it."*  If  this  interpretation  be 
well  founded,  we  see  how  closely  the  angels  and 
saints  in  heaven  are  identified  in  their  love  for,  and 
even  their  obligation  to,  Christ  "In  the  dispensa- 
tion of  the  fulness  of  times "  "  all  things  in  Christ, 
both  which  are  in  heaven,  and  which  are  in  earth," 
are  to  be  gathered  together  in  one  ;  even  in  HiM.f 
He  is  the  Head  over  them  all ;  they  are  all  members 
— and  therefore  brethren — of  His  church  triumphant. 
"The  children  of  the  resurrection"  are  "  equal  unto 
the  angels."  We  find  hints,  as  some  have  thought, 
of  a  certain  order  and  subordination,  which  imply 
the  existence  of  an  organized  community.  Paul, 
when  speaking  of  things  invisible,  enumerates 
"  thrones,  dominions,  principalities,  and  powers,"  and 
we  elsewhere  read  of  cherubim,  and  seraphim,  angels 
and  archangels,  which  expressions  have  been  ex- 
panded into  the  notion  of  a  heavenly  hierarchy. 
But  what  can  we  know  of  the  gradations  of  rank  or 
office  in  the  kingdom  of  glory  beyond  what  the 
Scriptures  reveal  ?  It  were  better  to  say  with  one  of 
the  Christian  fathers,  "  What  difference  there  is 
between  these  four  words  ("  thrones,  dominions, 
principalities,  and  powers  "),  let  them  tell  us  who  are 
able,  so  they  prove  what  they  tell  us ;  but  for  my 

*  Living  Temple,  chap.  x.        t  Eph.  i.  10. 


224  My  FATHER'S  House. 

part,  I  confess  I  know  not."-     We  may  safely  leave 
these  particulars  respecting  ranks,  and  orders,  till  we 
enter  into  the  regions  of  immortality.     At  the  same 
time,  we  know  that  there  can  be  no  distinctions  there, 
which  can  gratify  ambition ;  or,  on  the  other  hand, 
engender  jealousy  and  envy.     Every  one  will  know 
and  love  his  own  station ;  will  be  satisfied  with  it, 
and  desire  no  change.     It  has  been  thought  that  the 
Word   of   God  teaches   that   some  among  glorified 
human  spirits  will  be  exalted  to  higher  glory  than 
others;  and  some  have  even  maintained  the  supe- 
riority of  the  saints  to  the  angels  in  heaven.     But 
whether  either  of  these  opinions  be  true  or  not,  we 
cannot  think  them  important,  or  they  would  have 
been  more  clearly  revealed,  or  have  received  greater 
prominence  in  the  Scriptures  of  truth.     It  is  more 
important  for  us  to  know  that  the  society  of  heaven 
will  be  perfect.     There  will  be  no  clashing  interests, 
no  emulations  or  strifes  there.     Saints  and  angels  will 
know  and  love   each   other,  and  will  be  perfectly 
happy  in  each  other's  society.     In  one  sense,  they 
will  be  perfectly  equal ;  they  will  all  be  perfectly 
holy,  as  well  as  immortal.     There  will   be   nothing 
to  prevent    the   sweetest    intimacy,    and   the   most 
perfect  communion   of  soul,  on  the   part   of    those 
who  compose  "  the  whole  family  in  heaven."     There 
will  not  only  be  the  closest,  and  most  endearing  inti- 
*  Augustine. 


An  gel- Companion  8.  225 

macy  "between  saints,  but  between  saints  and  angels. 
Eternity  will  be  spent  in  the  closest  fellowship,  in  the 
interchange  of  holy  thought  and  services.  "We  shall 
not  only  recognize  old  friends  and  form  new  acquaint- 
ances among  saints  of  other  ages  and  countries,  but 
we  shall  become  familiar  acquaintances  and  com- 
panions with  angels — those  ancient,  wise,  and  holy 
servants  of  God.  Happy,  infinitely  happy,  and 
joyful  themselves,  their  companionship  will  bo  a 
source  of  unspeakable  bliss  to  all  who  are  admitted 
to  a  share  in  it.  Their  knowledge,  their  recollections 
of  the  past,  their  experience  of  the  divine  mercy, 
their  confidence  in  God,  their  wise  and  holy  conver- 
sation, will  make  them  both  profitable  and  delightful 
companions.  They  know  that  they  shall  always 
enjoy  the  love  of  lira  whom  they  have  always  faith- 
fully served.  The  birth-place  and  home  of  every 
joy,  our  "Father's  House,"  is  their  everlasting 
abode;  and,  therefore,  they  must  be  blessed,  and 
their  society  blissful. 

But  it  is  their  interest  in  the  plan  of  redemption, 
as  already  noticed,  which  constitutes  the  chief  bond 
of  union  and  fellowship,  between  angels  and  men.  It 
will  not  be  a  newly-developed  interest ;  it  is  as  old  as 
man's  revolt,  or  as  the  first  publication  of  God's  pur- 
pose of  mercy  towards  His  newly  formed  creature. 
Created  themselves  to  declare  the  glory  of  God,  they 
take  delight  in  the  works  and  other  creatures  of  God, 

10* 


226  My   FATHER'S   Boi 

as  the  means  and  instruments  by  which  the  Divine 
glory  is  to  be  the  more  illustriously  displayed.  As 
tln'v  surveyed  Grod's  finished  work  of  creation,  why 
did  these  sons  of  the  morning  shout  for  joy  ?  "What 
was  celebrated  in  that  joyful  hymn,  which  broke  so 
sweetly  over  a  new-created  world  ?  They  had  been 
witnesses  of  an  awful  rebellion  in  their  own  ranks  ;* 
they  had  seen  a  great  number  of  their  compeers 
banished  from  their  habitation  into  darkness,  reserved 
unto  the  Judgment  of  the  great  day.  They  looked 
upon  the  new  creation  with  adoration  and  joy,  as 
the  theatre  from  which  the  Supreme  Being  might 
replenish  His  kingdom,  with  holy  and  happy  sub- 
jects. This,  we  may  rationally  suppose,  was  the 
secret  of  the  joy  they  expressed,  when  they  came  to 
view  this  new  product  of  the  Divine  power  and  skill. 
It  was  here  that  a  race  of  beings,  made  but  a  little 
lower  than  themselves,  might  be  trained  up  for  the 
joys  of  immortality,  and  to  replenish  their  own  deci- 
mated ranks.  The  prospect  dilated  and  kindled 
fresh  joy  in  their  souls;  and,  with  more  than  ten 
thousand  voices,  they  pealed  forth  a  new  anthem  of 
praise  to  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne. 

When  sin  entered  into  the  world,  it   can  not  be 

supposed  that  these   active,   watchful   spirits   could 

long   remain    ignorant    of    the    catastrophe.     They 

would  be  still  strong  in  their  confidence  towards 

*  Rev.  xii.  7-9. 


Angel-Co  mp  a  n  i  o  n  s  .  227 

the  blessed  and  only  Potentate,  that  He  could  bring 
light  even  out  of  this  darkness,  order  out  of  this 
moral  chaos ;  and  where  sin  abounded,  make  His 
grace  and  glory  much  more  to  abound.  It  was 
when  Jehovah  revealed  His  plan  of  saving  rebel 
man,  by  the  promise,  that  the  Seed  of  the  woman 
should  bruise  the  serpent's  head,  that  their  wonder 
and  amazement  were  excited,  more  than  by  all  the 
works  of  God.  A  new  song  was  then  heard  in 
heaven  ;  Gabriel's  lyre  seemed  to  find  a  sweeter 
melody.  Redemption,  from  that  moment,  became 
the  study  of  the  angels,  and  the  subject  of  their 
holiest  meditations  and  divinest  strains.  "  Which 
things,"  L  e.  the  sufferings  of  Christ  and  the  glory 
that  should  follow,  "  the  angels  desire  to  look  into."  * 
In  this  expression  the  Apostle  represents  them  as 
in  the  attitude  of  the  cherubim  over  the  mercy -seat, 
bending  over  to  pry  into  the  things  hidden  by  their 
vastness  and  incomprehensible  excellence,  from  the 
view.  To  fathom  the  deep  "mystery  of  godliness, 
God  manifest  in  the  flesh "  tasks  their  immortal 
faculties.  The}",  however,  understand  much  of  its 
glory  ;  in  no  other  instance  have  they  seen  such  a 
display  of  the  character  of  the  Divine  Being ;  they 
admire  His  perfections  displayed  in  the  cross  of 
Christ.  Although  sinless  themselves,  they  rejoice  in 
the  grace  manifested  to  sinful  men ;  whilst  they  veil 
*lPet.  i.  11,  12. 


228  My  fat  li  EH  "s    House. 

their  faces,  in  secret  amazement,  that  the  brightness 
of  the  Fathers  glory  should  condescend  to  be  led  as 
a  lamb  to  the  slaughter.  Calvary  is  the  spot  around 
which  cluster  the  deepest  sympathies  of  angelic  minds. 
If  they  were  the  protectors  of  patriarchs,  the  pro- 
phets, the  martyrs  of  the  ancient  church,  it  was 
because  they  were  the  "heirs  of  salvation."  They 
encamped  round  about  them,  and  delivered  them, 
because  they  feared  the  Lord.  They  delight  to  be 
employed  in  carrying  out  the  gracious  designs  of 
their  glorious  King.  They  are  swift  messengers ; 
they  are  willing  ministers.  In  the  salvation  of  apos- 
tate man,  as  a  work  which  lies  near  His  heart,  and 
which  illustrates  His  perfections  of  holiness,  love, 
power  and  truth,  it  affords  them  the  highest  bliss  to 
be  permitted  to  have  an  instrumentality.  "We  have 
the  same  reason  to  believe  that  the  agency  of  angels, 
in  the  affairs  of  men,  is  continued,  as  that  it  ever 
existed.  The  day  of  miracles  is,  indeed,  passed  ;  the 
age  of  inspiration  is  also  passed  ;  but  let  us  not  sup- 
pose that  all  superhaturalism  is  at  an  end,  or  that  the 
day  of  angelic  instrumentality,  in  the  providential 
kingdom,  is  over.  Prophecy,  which  remains  unful- 
filled, recognizes  its  employment ;  and  it  will  be 
employed  so  long  as  there  are  heirs  of  salvation  to  be 
ministered  to — to  be  conducted  and  welcomed  to  the 
courts  of  glory.*  It  is  a  thought  of  thrilling  interest 
*  Ps.  xxxiv.  7.     Heb.  i.  14. 


An g e  l -  C  o m  pa  \  i  o  x  s .  229 

that  we  often,  in  a  literal  sense,  entertain  in  onr  very 
houses,  "  angels  unawares."  -'  In  our  places  of  busi- 
ness and  of  rest, — in  our  seasons  of  sorrow  and  of  joy, 
they  are  present  with  us.  O,  could  we  penetrate  the 
veil  that  hides  invisible  realities,  we  should  discover, 
that  even  in  our  most  secret  retirement,  we  are  sur- 
rounded with  witnesses.  Nor  do  they  visit  this 
world  as  curious  idlers,  to  watch  the  various  success 
of  men  in  the  battle  of  life  ;  but  possessed  of  holy 
natures,  and  the  keenest  sensibility,  their  most  lively 
emotions  are  excited  on  occasions,  when  men  betray 
the  utmost  indifference.  With  what  sadness  must 
they  gaze  upon  many  a  scene  of  unholy  pleasure ! 
"With  what  joy  would  they  rescue  the  deluded  vic- 
tim of  the  wine-cup,  or  of  meretricious  art !  They 
make  no  false  estimates,  and  are  never  imposed 
upon,  by  mere  gaud,  or  by  disguises.  They  form 
a  right  judgment  of  the  importance  of  events 
which  are  taking  place  in  this  world.  The  various 
contests  which  we  watch,  with  absorbing  interest, 
may  be  regarded  by  them  as  comparatively  unim- 
portant. They  judge  of  events  as  they  stand  related 
to  the  advancement  of  the  Eedeemer's  kino-dom,  and 
the  salvation  of  human  souls. 

"When    He  who  was   in    the   form    of  God,    and 
thought    it    not    robbery    to    be    equal    with  God, 
left  His  throne  and  assumed  our  nature,  we  may 
*  Heb.  xiii.  1 . 


230  My  FATHER'S  House. 

rationally  suppose  that  the  angels  were  filled  with  the 
highest  astonishment.     We  may  almost  imagine  these 
bright  spirits,  now  for  the  first  time  fully  apprehend- 
ing the  import  of  the  promise  respecting  the  Seed  of 
the  woman,  suddenly  arrested  in  the  execution  of 
their  several  ministries,  to  watch  this  strange  spec- 
tacle.    "  "What  new  wonder  this  ?"  they  inquire,  as 
amazement  spreads   along  their  shining  ranks  ;  and 
legions*  stand  ready  to  become  an  invisible  body- 
guard to  the  Son  of  the  Highest,  in  His  humiliation. 
One  of  their  number  was  selected  and  sent,  by  God, 
to  make  the   annunciation  to  the  Virgin,  that  she 
should    bring    forth    a    Son,    who    should    be    the 
Redeemer   of  the  world.     When   the   birth   of  the 
Redeemer  was  published  to   the  shepherds  on  the 
plains  of  Bethlehem,  keeping  their  flocks  by  night, 
as  they  beheld  with  wonder  the  glory  of  the  Lord, 
shining  round  about  them  ;  suddenly  they  heard  "  a 
multitude  of  the  heavenly  host  praising  God,   and 
saying,  "  Gloky  to  God   in   the   highest,  and   on 

EAKTH    PEACE,    GOOD    WILL    TOWARD    MEN."       This    SOng 

finished,  they  went  away  again  into  heaven  ;  but  the 
holy  Child  was  not  without  His  invisible  retinue  to 
shield  Him  from  the  malice  which  hunted  Him  while 
yet  in  His  cradle.  Legions  of  angels  would  have 
been  sent  at  His  call  when  encompassed,  in  after 
life,  by  the  assembly  of  the  unjust.     In  the  wilder- 

*Matt.  xxvi.  53. 


Angel- C ompaxioxs.  231 

ness,  after  fasting  forty  days,  and  being  tempted  of 
the  devil,  angels  came  and  ministered  unto  Him.  In 
the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  where  He  endured  His 
mysterious  agony,  "there  appeared  an  angel  from 
heaven  unto  Him,  strengthening  Him."  How  "  the 
chariots  of  God,  even  thousands  of  angels  "  thronged 
around  the  judgment-hall  of  Pilate,  as  He  whom 
they  delighted  to  worship  stood  there,  exposed  to  the 
jibes  of  impious  men !  How  they  must  have  crowded 
the  air,  viewing,  with  intense  interest,  the  scenes  of 
Calvary.  Pilate  sent  Roman  soldiers  to  guard  Ilis 
tomb,  that  His  disciples  might  not  steal  Him  away ; 
but  there  was  another,  an  invisible  cohort,  there. 
What  was  Pilate's  seal  or  the  great  stone  which 
barricaded  the  door  of  the  tomb  ?  What  was 
Pilate's  guard,  in  the  presence  of  those  before 
whom  they  became  as  dead  men?  And  when  He 
ascended  into  heaven,  two  shining  ones  appeared  to 
His  disciples,  as  they  stood  gazing  after  Him,  and 
predicted  His  return,  in  like  manner,  at  the  last 
day.  The  "sons  of  God"  shouted  for  joy  as  the 
Lord  went  up,  and  welcomed  Him  back  with  the 
sound  of  the  trumpet :  "  Sing  praises  to  God,  sing 
praises  ;  sing  praises  unto  our  King,  sing  praises." 
Such  was  the  welcome  with  which  the  "  morning 
stars  "  greeted  the  Sun  of  righteousness  as  He  arose 
and  ascended  the  highest  heavens,  with  healing  in 


232  My   FATHER'S   House. 

His  beams.  They  rejoiced  to  cast  tlieir  crowns 
before  the  'lustre  of  His  throne — to  hide  tlieir 
radiance,  to  wane  and  he  eclipsed  in  His  full-orbed 
splendour. 

And  we  may  rest  assured  that  the  Lord's  host,* 
who  met  the  patriarch  on  his  way  from  Mesopo- 
tamia— who  encamped  round  about  those  who  feared 
God,  in  times  of  old — who  greeted  earth  with  their 
music,  when  God  brought  His  First-begotten  into 
the  world,  and  made  heaven  resound  with  their 
shouts,  when  He  returned  victorious  into  the  skies, 
have  lost  none  of  tlieir  interest  in  the  work  of  human 
salvation.  Hence,  although  they  belong  to  a  differ- 
ent order  of  beings,  they  will  be  congenial  com- 
panions to  redeemed  men.  We  have  reason  to 
believe  that  they  esteem  it  as  among  tlieir  highest 
honours  to  be  ministering  spirits  to  "  them  who  shall 
be  heirs  of  salvation. f  Although  members  of  the 
church  triumphant  above,  they  have  services  to  per- 
form in  the  church  on  earth.  As  to  the  precise 
nature  of  these  services,  or  the  manner  in  which 
they  are  performed,  it  may  not  be  possible  for  us,  at 
present,  to  know.  "  There  is  joy,"  we  are  told,  "  in 
the  presence  of  the  angels  of  God,  over  one  sinner 
that  repenteth."^:  They  rejoice  that  a  new  victory 
is  gained  over  the  powers  of  darkness;  that  another 

*  Gen.  xxxii.  1-2.         t  Heb.  i.  14.        J  Luke  xv.  10. 


Axgel-Co  MPAXrO  xs.  233 

trophy  of  Divine  grace  is  gained ;  that  the  amount 
of  happiness  is  augmented,  and  the  amount  of  misery 
in  the  universe  curtailed.  An  event,  which  men 
may  pass  unnoticed,  spreads  joy  among  the  angels 
of  God.  They  may  give  no  heed  to  the  affairs 
which  engross  the  attention  of  princes  and  states- 
men, as  if  they  were  the  veriest  trifles,  but  they 
strike  their  harps  anew,  when  the  tidings  arrive 
that  a  sinner  has  repented,  even  though  he  be  a 
despised  slave  or  a  neglected  beggar.  And  if  such 
an  event  produces  these  ecstasies  among  them,  think 
ye  that  they  do  not  covet  a  ministry  in  this  glorious 
work  ?  They  "  excel  in  strength."  *  They  are  repre- 
sented as  holding  the  winds  of  heaven ;  and  one  of 
them  is  to  bind  "  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air," 
and  confine  him  in  the  bottomless  pit.  These 
mighty  spirits  are  the  friends  of  man,  and  watch  his 
movements  with  intense  solicitude.  They  hover 
around  his  path.  When  he  takes  the  Bible  into  his 
hands,  or  listens  to  the  preached  Gospel,  they  gaze 
with  the  deepest  interest.  Perhaps  they  watch  to 
discover  some  sign  of  contrition.  How  amazed  they 
must  be,  at  the  hardness  and  infatuation  of  men! 
And  when  the  Gospel  is  successful, — when  any  one 
believes,  they  encamp  round  about  him,  commis- 
sioned to  guard  the  pilgrim,  and  guide  him  home. 
In  sickness,  and  at  the  hour  of  death,  they  are 

*  Ps.  ciii   20. 


234:  My    FATHER'S    ffbtr&E. 

near  to  every  child  of  God.  The  chamber  where 
the  good  man  is  dying  has  been  denominated  a 
privileged  spot,  "  quite  on  the  verge  of  heaven."  It 
is  the  place  where  heaven  has  often  been  brought 
almost  into  visible  contact  with  earth,  by  some 
beams  of  its  glory  streaming  in  upon  the  darkness 
which  is  around  us.  That  angels  were  present  to 
rejoice  over  the  triumphant  scene,  to  give  strength 
in  the  mortal  combat,  to  receive  the  liberated  spirit, 
and  conduct  it  to  mansions  near  the  throne,  we  have 
felt  that  there  was  no  room  to  doubt.  We  have 
sometimes  felt  that  the  dying,  seeing  perhaps  what 
was  invisible,  and  hearing  what  was  inaudible  to  us, 
needed  less  our  prayers  and  consolations,  than  we 
needed  theirs.  As  the  friends  of  one*  of  our  female 
missionaries  stood  watching  the  flame  of  life  flicker- 
ing in  its  socket,  it  is  recorded,  that  once,  to  their 
surprise,  "  the  involuntary  groans  she  uttered  in  her 
convulsions  melted  away  into  soft  musical  notes ; 
and,  for  a  moment,  their  ears  were  charmed  with  the 
full,  clear  tones  of  the  sweetest  melody.  They  were 
the  accidental  notes  of  the  harp  when  one  is  remov- 
ing the  strings.  Or  rather,  it  seemed  as  if  her  soul 
was  already  joining  in  the  songs  of  heaven,  while 
it  was  yet  so  connected  with  the  body  as  to  command 
its  unconscious  sympathy."  f  We  read,  in,  the 
Evangelists,  of  one  who  was  carried  by  angels  into 
*Mrs.  Surah  Lanman  Smith.        tRev.  N.  Adams,  D.D.,  Boston. 


Angel-Companions.  235 

heaven ;  and  why  may  we  not  suppose  that  they 
perform  for  other  believers  the  same  office  which 
they  performed  for  Lazarus  ?  Their  ministry  ceases 
not,  till  they  have  conducted  the  redeemed  safely 
within  the  portals  of  everlasting  bliss;  and  their 
interest  in  the  work  of  man's  redemption  will  con- 
tinue throughout  everlasting  ages.  They  will  never 
grow  weary  of  celebrating  redemption — of  joining 
with  those  over  whom  they  watched,  while  on  their 
pilgrimage  here  below,  in  celebrating  their  deliver- 
ance, and  recounting  the  wonderful  story  of  the 
cross.  This  will  make  them  congenial  companions. 
Although  they  cannot  learn  the  strain,  "  He  hath 
redeemed  us  to  God  by  His  blood,"  yet  the  cross 
will  be  to  them  full  of  sweet  and  enrapturing  won- 
ders ;  the  grace  and  glory  revealed  thereby,  will  fill 
them  with  "  amazing  joys,"  and  cause  them  to  make 
the  universe  resound  with  their  loud  hallelujahs. 


236  My    i    \  T  M  Kirs    House 


XIV. 

RECOGNITION 


"I  have  heard  you  say, 
That  we  shall  see  and  know  our  friends  in  heaven. 
If  that  be  true,  I  shall  see  my  boy  again." 


¥E  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  change 
which  the  bodies  of  those  who  have  fallen 
asleep  in  Christ  are  to  undergo,  in  the  resurrection, 
whatever  may  be  the  beauty  and  glory  which  are 
then  to  adorn  them,  will  so  affect  their  general  char- 
acteristical  appearance,  as  to  prevent  their  recogni- 
tion by  all  who  knew  them  before.  Our  present 
bodies  are  constantly  undergoing  change,  by  a  pro- 
cess common  to  the  animal  creation;  nevertheless, 
we  are  conscious  of  possessing  the  same  bodies,  from 
youth  to  age,  and  others  recognize  them  as  the  very 
same.  And  why  may  not  identity  and  resemblance 
be  maintained  in  the  process,  and  highest  stale, 
of  refinement  ?  As  many  persons  seem  not  to  have 
a  firm  conviction  of  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  of 
recognition  in  heaven,  and  as  the  subject  has  a  prac- 
tical interest,  and  by  no  means  belongs  to  the  domain 
of  mere  speculation,  I  shall  attempt  to  exhibit  some 


Recognition.  237 

of  the  leading  arguments  which  show  the  agreement 
of  this  doctrine  with  both  reason  and  Scripture. 

The  Son  of  God  will,  no  doubt,  form  the  chief  joy 
and  attraction  of  heaven  to  redeemed  sinners.  "  As 
the  twinkling  stars,"  says  the  late  venerable  Dr. 
Alexander,  "  are  lost  in  the  blaze  of  the  rising  sun, 
so  there  is  One  Person,  in  the  highest  heavens,  visi- 
ble to  all  who  enter  that  place,  whose  glory  irra- 
diates all  the  celestial  mansions ;  whose  love  and 
smiles  diffuse  ineffable  joy  through  all  the  heavenly 
hosts  ;  and  in  whom  every  believer  has  an  absorbing- 
interest,  with  which  no  other  can  be  compared.  On 
His  head,  He  wears  many  crowns,  and  in  His  hand, 
He  holds  a  sceptre,  by  which  He  governs  the  uni- 
verse ;  but  yet  he  exhibits,  visibly,  the  marks  of  a 
violent  death,  which,  for  us,  He  once  endured.  His 
name  is,  Tnn  "Woed  of   God,  King   of  Kings,  and 

LoED      OF     LOEDS,      The      ALPHA     AND       OMEGA,      TnE 

Almighty.  And,  behold,  all  the  angels  of  God 
worship  Him.  And  the  host  of  the  redeemed, 
which  no  man  can  number,  sing  a  song  of  praise  to 
the  Lamb,  which  no  man  can  learn,  except  those  that 
are  redeemed  from  among  men ;  for  the  burden  of 
their  song  is,  '  To  Him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us 
from  our  sins  in  His  own  blood.'  Every  redeemed 
soul,  upon  being  admitted  into  heaven,  will,  for  a 
while,  be  so  completely  absorbed  in  the  contempla- 
tion of  that  Divlne  Peeson  that  he  will  be  incapable 


23S  My  FATHER'S   House. 

of  paving:  much  attention  to  any  other.  Like  that 
Armenian  princess  of  whom  Xenophon  give-  an 
account,  who,  after  all  the  rest  of  the  company  had 
been  expressing  their  admiration  of  Cyrus,  one  prais- 
ing one  thing  and  one  another,  upon  being  asked 
what  about  this  royal  personage  she  admired  most, 
answered,  that  she  did  not  even  look  at  him,  because 
her  whole  attention  had  been  absorbed  in  admiring- 
one  (her  young  husband)  who  had  offered  to  die  for 
her.  But  the  saved  sinner  may  say,  that  his  atten- 
tion was  completely  absorbed  in  gazing  upon  Ilnr, 
who  not  only  said  He  would  die  for  him,  but  who 
actually  did  die,  in  his  place,  and,  by  this  sacrifice, 
redeemed  him  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  and  from 
all  iniquity.'' *  It  would  not  be  the  heaven  which 
the  Bible  promises,  though  all  our  friends  were  there, 
without  the  presence  of  the  blessed  Redeemer.  It  is 
to  see  Jesus,  and  be  like  Hnr,  upon  which  our  hearts 
should  be  principally  set.  But  there  need  be  no 
doubt,  on  this  account,  about  our  knowing  in  heaven 
those  whom  we  knew  and  loved  on  earth.  Indeed, 
such  knowledge  will  serve  to  discover  to  us,  more 
fully,  the  glory  and  the  honour  due  to  the  blessed 
Redeemer.  It  does  not  diminish,  it  enhances  our 
love  and  admiration  for  Christ,  to  take  notice  of  the 
triumph  of  His  grace  in  those  who  were  our  friends 
and  associates  on  earth ;  and  to  acknowledge  Him  as 
*  Religious  Experience,  p.  303. 


Recognition".  239 

the  Author  of  the  blessed  work ;  and,  therefore,  we 
conclude  that  it  is  not  a  mere  transfer  of  the  feelings 
and  associations  of  earth  to  heaven,  and  that  it  does 
not  tend  to  detract  from  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer, 
as  the  great  object  of  absorbing  interest  in  heaven, 
to  suppose  that  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  holy  joy, 
in  that  world,  will  be  to  mark  the  triumphs  of 
redeeming  grace,  in  the  just  made  perfect.  And  it 
seems  to  be  essential  to  this,  that  the  redeemed  should 
know  one  another.  If  the  imperfect  exhibitions  of 
holiness  in  men  below  serve  to  awaken  spiritual  joy 
and  gratitude  to  the  Redeemer,  will  it  have  nothing 
to  do  with  our  blessedness,  and  in  calling  forth  our 
hallelujahs  in  honour  of  that  Redeemer,  when  we  see 
Him  as  He  is,  surrounded  by  an  innumerable  throng 
of  just  men,  made  perfect,  through  His  righteousness 
and  grace  ?  The  purity  of  every  saved  sinner  will 
reflect  the  infinite  purity  of  the  Lamb  in  whose  blood 
they  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white. 
To  admire  the  silver  beauty  of  the  moon  and  planets 
of  our  nocturnal  heavens,  is  but  another  way  of 
admiring  the  light  of  that  superior,  central  orb  which 
they  do  but  reflect.  To  know,  therefore,  and  love  out 
former  friends,  when  they  are  made  to  reflect  more  per- 
fectly their  Redeemer's  glory  in  heaven,  is  but  another 
mode  of  adoring  Him  who  is  "  the  light  thereof." 

It  is  altogether  in  accordance  with  Scripture  and 
reason,  to  suppose  that  it  will  be  among  the  pleas- 


240  My  FATHER'S  House. 

ures  of  heaven  for  the  saints  to  recount  the  dealings 
of  God  with  their  souls,  and  the  trials  and  dangers 
through  which  God  has  so  mercifully  conducted 
them.  It  will  not  only  be  a  delightful  employment 
in  itself,  but  well  calculated  to  increase  their  grati- 
tude to  their  great  Deliverer  for  those  who  have  been 
fellow-travellers  in  this  world,  to  review  together 
the  scenes  through  which  they  have  passed,  and 
talk  of  that  rich  grace  which  was  sufficient  for  them, 
in  all  their  afflictions  and  temptations.  But  this  also 
implies  mutual  recognition,  and  shows  heaven  to  be 
not  a  place  of  isolated  existence,  where  each  indi- 
vidual is  absorbed  in  a  contemplation  which  destroys 
all  consciousness  of  the  presence  of  fellow-worship- 
pers, but  a  glorious  assembly — aye,  a  company — who 
animate  and  encourage  one  another  in  the  exalted 
service  and  worship  of  God. 

Such  recognition,  moreover,  will  serve  to  enlarge 
their  views  of  the  divine  mercy,  justice,  and  wisdom. 
Every  redeemed  soul  will  be  an  everlasting  monu- 
ment of  the  love  and  faithfulness  of  God ;  but  how 
inexpressive  and  comparatively  unmeaning  would 
every  such  monument  be,  if  in  heaven  we  are  to 
have  no  knowledge  of  individuals,  and  are,  there- 
fore, unable  to  connect  the  history  of  their  salva- 
tion with  their  reward !  How  would  the  declara- 
tive glory  of  God  still  appear  in  Abraham,  Moses, 
David,  and  Paul,  and  those  whom  we  have  known 


Recognition.  241 

personally,  and  loved,  in  this  world,  and  whose 
career  as  believers  we  have  watched,  sometimes 
with  trembling  anxiety,  if  we  are  unable  to  recos- 
nize  them?  If  the  declarative  glory  of  God  has 
been  made  to  appear  with  greater  distinctness,  in 
the  present  state,  in  converted  men,  than  it  does 
in  suns  and  stars,  much  more  will  they,  as  saints, 
be  made  to  reflect  it,  in  heaven  ?  Hence  it  appears, 
that  the  doctrine  that  the  saints  in  heaven  are  to 
know  one  another,  by  no  means  conflicts  with  the 
truth  that  Jesus  Christ  is  to  be  the  great  Object 
of  contemplation,  love,  and  homage.  As  they  see 
and  know  the  converted  thief,  and  the  converted 
persecutor,  Saul  of  Tarsus,  and  such  men  as  were 
their  intimate  friends  and  relations  in  this  world, 
they  will  see  His  glory  reflected  in  them,  and  will 
raise  higher  the  song  of  redeeming  love. 

But  it  must  also  be  considered  that  heaven  is  to 
be  not  only  a  world  of  love,  but  a  world  of  know- 
ledge, of  the  interchange  of  thought,  where  informa- 
tion will  be  both  imparted  and  acquired.  In  the 
present  state,  one  person  is  necessary  to  another  in 
the  acquisition  of  knowledge ;  we  are  mutually 
teachers  and  disciples;  and,  in  an  important  sense, 
even  become  familiarly  acquainted,  through  their 
writings,  with  teachers  whom  we  have  never  seen. 
And  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  there  will 
be  so  great  a  change  in  the  laws  of  our  mental  con- 

11 


242  My    FATHER'S    House. 

0 
stitution,  in  the  world  to  come,  that  we  are  not  still 

to  remain  mutual  teachers  and  learners  ;  or  that  we 
could  thus  impart  and  acquire  knowledge,  without 
knowing  one  another. 

Again:  Christian  fellowship  is  now  found  to  be 
one  of  the  chief  sources  of  pious  joy.  The  hearts 
of  Christians,  as  they  talk  of  the  things  of  the 
kingdom,  and  of  God's  gracious  dealings  with 
their  souls,  often  "  burn  within ??  them ;  and  sea- 
sons of  worship  become  peculiar  seasons  of  frater- 
nal lore  and  joy.     "We  sing : 

Our  souls  by  love  together  knit, 

Cemented,  mixed  in  one, 
One  hope,  one  heart,  one  mind,  one  voice, 

-'Tis  heaven  on  earth  begun. 
Our  hearts  have  often  burned  within, 

And  glowed  with  sacred  fire, 
While  Jesus  spake,  and  fed,  and  blessed, 

And  filled  the  enlarged  desire."* 

Or,  as  in  another  sweet  hymn  r 

"  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds 

Our  hearts  in  Christian  love  ; 
The  fellowship  of  kindred  minds, 

Is  like  to  that  above. 
Before  our  Father's  throne, 

We  pour  our  ardent  prayers  ; 
Our  fears,  our  hopes,  our  aims  are  one. 

Our  comforts  and  our  cares. 

*  Miller. 


Recognition.  243 

"  We  share  our  mutual  woes, 
Our  mutual  burdens  bear, 
And  often  for  each  other  flows 

The  sympathizing  tear. 
When  we  asunder  part, 

It  gives  us  inward  pain  ; 
But  we  shall  still  be  joined  in  heart, 
And  hope  to  meet  again." 
***** 

"  From  sorrow,  toil,  and  pain, 
And  sin  we  shall  be  free  ; 
And  perfect  love  and  friendship  reign, 
Through  all  eternity."* 

Is  this  mere  poetry  ?  Do  we,  when  we  use  this 
language  in  spiritual  song,  profess  what  is  unknown 
to  Christian  experience  or  expectation?  When  our 
souls  are  knit  together  by  love,  and  we  are  animated 
by  "  one  hope,  one  heart,  one  mind,"  is  it  not  as 
near  to  the  beginning  of  heaven  as  anything  we 
ever  hope  to  experience  here  below  ?  Was  the 
sweet  singer  mistaken,  when  he  said 

"  The  fellowship  of  kindred  minds 
Is  like  to  that  above?" 

It  is  true  we  shall  have  no  "mutual  burdens"  to 

bear  in  heaven,  and  shall  never  shed  for  each  other 

u  the  sympathizing  tear,"   even   as  we   shall   never 

"asunder  part;"    but   shall  we   have  no   "mutual 

*  Fawcett. 


244  Mr    FATHER'S    Hoi 

joys   to  share?''     Shall  we  not  still  be  "joined   in 
heart,*'  when  Ave  meet  again, 

"  And  perfect  love  and  friendship  reign, 
Through  all  eternity?" 

That  "  communion  of  saints,"  in  which  we  profess 
to  believe,  reaches  beyond  the  church  militant,  and 
is  doubtless  far  more  perfect,  in  the  church  triumph- 
ant. That  church  is  not  composed  of  distant,  unsym- 
pathizing  souls;  but  heart  mingles  with  heart  at  the 
same  time  that  voice  unites  with  voice,  in  adoring 
God  and  the  Lamb.  This  communion,  which  is  one 
of  the  chief  sources  of  pious  joy  on  earth,  and  must 
be  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  blessedness  to  the 
redeemed  in  heaven,  is  founded  on  mutual  knowledge 
and  love. 

Nor  is  it  to  be  overlooked  that  the  Scriptures 
describe  the  worship  of  the  "New  Jerusalem  as  social 
worship.  When  the  four  living  creatures  whom 
John  beheld  in  the  vision  which  he  had  of  God's 
throne  in  heaven,  gave  glory,  honour,  and  thanks  to 
Him  that  sat  on  the  throne,  saying,  "  Holy,  holy, 
holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  is,  and  is 
to  come,"  the  four-and-twenty  elders  are  described  as 
responding  to  the  cry,  saying,  "Thou  art  worthy,  O 
Lord,  to  receive  glory,  and  honour,  and  power,  for 
Tuou  hast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy  pleasure  they 

are  and  were  created."*     "  And  I  beheld,  and  I  heard 
*  Rev.  iv.  s-11. 


Recognition.  24:5 

the  voice  of  many  angels  round  about  the  throne,  and 
the  living  creatures,  and  the  elders  ;  and  the  number 
of  them  was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and 
thousands  of  thousands  ;  saying,  with  a  loud  voice, 
'  "Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive 
power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and 
honour,  and  glory,  and  blessing."  And  anon,  from 
every  quarter  of  the  universe,  John  heard  it  echoed 
and  re-echoed,  "Worthy — Wokthy  is  the  Lamb." 
"Amen,  Amen."-  These  holy  and  blessed  myriads, 
throughout  all  the  "  mansions "  of  the  "  Father's 
House,"  are  here  described  as  uniting,  and  making 
those  mansions  vocal  with  the  same  song.  In  that 
song  there  is  perfect  harmony — not  one  discordant 
note.  Nothing  is  wanting  to  render  the  worship  of 
heaven,  viewed  as  social  worship,  perfect;  and  hence  it 
follows  that  all  who  engage  in  that  worship  will  know 
and  love  one  another — and  love  the  more  for  vieing 
in  the  praise  of  the  same  Redeemer.  A  Christian, 
in  a  foreign  land,  may  indeed  reap  both  profit  and 
pleasure,  when  mingling  in  the  devotions  of  those 
whom  he  never  before  saw  in  the  flesh,  and  listening 
to  the  praises  of  his  Saviour  in  a  strange  tongue; 
but,  how  greatly  would  his  pleasure  be  increased,  if 
he  could  suddenly  be  transferred  to  his  native  city  or 
village,  to  the  company  of  those  long  known  and 
esteemed,  for  their  Christian  excellences  !     It  is  on 

*  Rev.  v.  11-14. 


246  My  FATHER'S  House. 

the  Sabbath  morning,  when  the  Christian  traveller 
siffhs  most  for  home,  for  the  familiar  faces  and  voices 
of  his  own  chosen  sanctuary.  "There  need  be  no 
dispute,''  says  the  same  venerable  writer  already 
quoted,  "about  our  knowing-  in  heaven  those  whom 
we  knew  and  loved  here  ;  for,  if  there  should  be  no 
faculty  by  which  they  could  at  once  be  recognized, 
yet  by  extended  and  familiar  intercourse,  with  the 
celestial  inhabitants,  it  cannot  be  otherwise  but  that 
interesting  discoveries  will  be  made  continually  ;  and 
the  unexpected  recognition  of  old  friends  may  be  one 
of  the  sources  of  pleasure,  which  will  render  heaven 
so  pleasant.  But  as  the  fleshly  bond  of  relationship 
is  dissolved  at  death,  it  seems  reasonable  to  think, 
that  the  only  bond  of  union  and  kindred  in  heaven 
will  be  the  spiritual  bond,  which  unites  all  believers 
in  one  body,  and  to  Christ,  their  living  Head  ;  there- 
fore we  may  presume  that  there  will  be  felt  an  ardent 
desire  to  form  an  acquaintance  with  the  most  remark- 
able personages,  who  have  lived  from  Adam  down- 
wards. Who,  if  admitted  into  paradise,  could  repress 
his  curiosity  to  see,  and  if  possible,  to  converse  with 
the  progenitor  of  our  race.  Doubtless,  he  could  tell 
us  some  things  which  we  do  not  fully  understand. 
And  who  would  not  wish  to  see  the  first  person  who 
ever  entered  those  blessed  abodes,  from  our  earth  ? 
Aye,  and  Enoch,  too,  who  never  tasted  death,  and 
who  still  possesses  his  original  body,  changed  and 


Recognition.  24/7 

glorified,  it  is  true,  but  still  substantially  the  same  ? 
We  might  expect  to  find  him  in  the  company  of 
Elijah,  who  is  similarly  circumstanced.  *  *  * 
And  where  is  Abraham,  that  venerable  saiut,  who 
in  faith  aud  obedience,  exceeded  all  other  men,  and 
obtained  from  God  the  honourable  appellation  of 
"  the  father  of  the  faithful,''  and  the  "  friend  "  of 
God  ?  And  who  would  be  in  heaven,  ever  so  short  a 
time,  without  desiring  to  see  Paul,  the  Apostle  of  the 
Gentiles  ;  and  not  him  only,  but  Peter  and  John,  and 
all  the  college  of  the  Apostles  ?"* 

But  have  we  not  something  stronger,  than  a  very 
high  degree  of  probability,  arising  from  the  foregoing 
considerations,  in  favour  of  this  doctrine  ?  Have  we 
not  direct  and  positive  proof  of  its  truth,  in  the  word 
of  God  %  I  will  not  repeat  what  has  been  said  before 
respecting  heaven  as  a  defined  place  of  residence 
and  action,  and  respecting  the  resurrection  of  the 
same  bodies,  which  are  buried  in  the  grave.  But 
the  Scriptures  plainly  teach  that  the  redeemed  are 
to  possess  bodies  so  far  resembling  the  bodies  they 
had  on  earth,  and  which  were  "sown"  in  the  grave, 
as  the  nature  of  the  case,  or  their  new  state  admits. 
Andrew  Fuller  suggests  that  "our  bodies,  after  they 
are  raised  from  the  dead,  may  be  '  flesh  and  blood,' 
and  yet  not  what  they  now  are."  They  will  entirely 
differ  from  what  they  now  are,  in  being  incorruptible, 

*  Religious  Experience,  p.  302. 


248  My    FATHERS  House. 

immortal,  and  spiritual.  Hence,  were  we  to  admit 
that  there  is,  for  the  most  part,  a  general  silence,  in 
holy  writ,  on  the  subject  of  the  recognition  of  our 
friends,  in  the  future  world,  the  supposition  is  not 
only  congenial  with  our  best  feelings,  but  "  appears 
to  be  so  natural  a  consequence  of  the  general 
doctrine  of  the  resurrection,  as  clearly  set  before  us 
by  the  Word  of  God,  that  we  might  be  expected,  in 
common  course  of  things,  to  take  it.  for  granted, 
unless  it  was  contradicted  or  opposed  by  that  Word  ; 
or,  unless  it  were  encumbered  by  great  and  insur- 
mountable objections."* 

But  there  are  not  wanting  express  declarations,  in 
the  Bible,  which  clearly  intimate  the  truth  of  this 
doctrine.  King  David,  when  a  beloved  child  was 
sick  unto  death,  fasted,  and  prayed,  and  wept ;  but 
when  he  perceived,  from  the  conduct  of  the  servants 
of  his  household,  that  the  child  was  dead,  he  arose 
and  washed  himself,  and  changed  his  apparel,  went 
to  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  worshipped,  and  then 
returned  to  his  own  house,  and  partook  of  food.  To 
his  servants,  to  whom  his  conduct  appeared  strange 
and  inexplicable,  he  said,  "  Wherefore  should  I  fast? 
Can  I  bring  him  back  again  ?  I  shall  go  to  him,  but 
he  shall  not  return  to  me."f  He  was  evidently  com- 
forted with  the  hope— the  hope  that  sustains  many  a 
Christian  parent,  called  to  weep  over  the  grave  of 

*  Mant's  Happiness  of  the  Blessed,  p.  25.  t  2  Sam.  xii.  23. 


Recognitio  X  .  24:9 

infant  children — that  he  should,  ere  long,  go  where 
his  child  had  gone,  and  there  see,  know,  and  embrace 
him  again.  Our  Lord  warned  his  hearers  that  it 
would  aggravate  their  doom,  when  they  should  "  see 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  all  the  prophets,  in 
the  kingdom  of  God,"*  and  they  themselves  thrust 
out.  The  language  is  unnecessary,  and  conveys  a 
wrong  impression,  if  to  "  see  "  the  patriarchs  and 
prophets  does  not  also  imply  that  they  were  to  know 
them.  "  And  I  say  unto  you,  that  many  shall  come 
from  the  East  and  West,  and  shall  sit  down  with 
Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."f  Sitting  down  with  these  ancient  servants 
of  God  must  mean  introduction  to  their  society,  and 
enjoyment  with  them;  but  how  would  this  be  possi- 
ble, how  could  they  be  said  to  enter  and  enjoy  the 
society  of  those  whom  it  was  impossible  for  them  to 
know  ?  "  The  happiness  of  the  saints  is  represented 
under  the  emblem  of  a  festive  scene,  and  the  point 
of  allusion,  which  deserves  our  notice,  and  on  which 
rests  the  evidence  contained  in  the  passage,  relates  to 
the  gratification  which  guests  of  kindred  sentiments 
find  in  the  circumstance  of  being  able  to  identify 
each  other.  Multitudes  of  strangers  are  to  come 
from  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth,  and  are  to  sit 
down  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  king- 
dom of  heaven.     Here  is  a  special  honour  and  felicity 

*  Luke  xiii.  23.  t  Matt.  viii.  11. 


250  M  v    F  A  T  1 1  E  R  "  S    11  o  t;  a  E . 

promised  to  them ;  and  how  can  the  declaration  be 
realized  in  any  manner,  consistently,  which  does  not 
imply  the  knowledge  of  these  distinguished  indi- 
viduals?"* In  the  parable  of  the  rich  man  and 
Lazarus,  the  Saviour  represents  the  rich  man  as  see- 
ing Abraham,  as  knowing  him,  and  addressing  his 
discourse  to  him.  If  this  lost  soul  knew  Abraham 
afar  off,  and  Lazarus  also,  shall  we  suppose  that  these 
two  saints,  one  of  them  reclining  on  the  bosom  of  the 
other,  did  not  know  each  other?  or  that  all  saved 
sinners  shall  not  know  their  associates  in  the  realms 
of  bliss? 

"  Whom  we  preach,  warning  every  man,  and 
teaching  every  man  in  all  wisdom,  that  we  may  pre- 
sent every  man  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus."t  These 
words  express  the  extreme  earnestness  and  anxiety 
with  which  the  apostle  Paul  sought  the  salvation  of 
his  fellow-men.  But  the  last  clause  of  the  passage 
contains  within  it,  by  implication,  the  doctrine  that 
saints,  in  a  future  life,  will  meet  and  be  known  again 
to  one  another.  The  clause  is  this,  "  That  we  may 
present  every  man  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus."  "  By 
which,  I  understand,"  says  Dr.  Paley,  in  a  sermon, 
from  these  words,  "  St.  Paul  to  express  the  hope  and 
prayer  that  at  the  general  judgment  of  the  world,  he 
might  present  to  Christ  the  fruits  of  his  ministry,  the 

*  Huston's  Recognition  in  the  World  to  Come,  p.  102. 
t  Col.  i.  28. 


Re co  gxit  i  ox.  251 

converts  whom  he  had  made  to  his  faith  and  religion, 
and  might  present  them  perfect  in  every  good  work. 
And  if  this  he  rightly  interpreted,  then  it  affords  a 
manifest  and  necessary  inference,  that  the  saints,  in  a 
future  life,  will  meet  and  be  known  again  to  one  ano- 
ther ;  for  how,  without  knowing  again  his  converts,  in 
their  new  and  glorified  state,  could  St.  Paul  desire 
or  expect  to  present  them  at  the  last  day."*  "For 
what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing? 
Are  not  even  ye  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  at  His  coming ?  For  ye  are  our  glory  and 
joy."f  The  Thessalonian  church  was  distinguished 
for  its  piety.  The  Apostle  bestowed  commendations 
on  their  faith,  love,  and  devoted  zeal.  What,  then, 
does  he  declare  to  be  his  hope,  his  joy,  and  the 
crown  of  his  rejoicing?  Is  it  not  the  honour  of 
presenting  before  the  throne  of  God  those  whom 
he  regarded  as  his  spiritual  children  ?  How  could 
he  present  them,  and  say,  "  Lord,  here  am  I,  and  the 
children  Thou  hast  given  me,"  unless  he  was  able  to 
recognize  them  as  those  who  had  been  converted 
through  his  instrumentality?  The  language  proves 
that  "  Paul  anticipated  on  the  last  day  a  personal 
knowledge  of  those  on  his  part,  and  a  personal  re- 
union with  them,  with  whom  he  had  been  connected 
in  this    life,    by  the    ties   of   pastoral    offices   and 

*  Sermons  on  Several  Subjects,  xxxiv. 
t  1  Thess.  ii.  19.  20. 


252  IIy   PATH  [•:;:•  •    h0i 

kind  affection."*    What  was  Paul's  privilege  as   a 
minister  of  Christ,  will,  doubtless,  be  the  privilege  of 
every  faithful  minister  and  faithful  servant  of  Christ. 
Their  hope,  and  joy,  and  crown  of  rejoicing  will  be 
the  souls  saved,  through  their  instrumentality.  "  in 
the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  at  His  com- 
ing."    "  The  manner  in  which  Paul  speaks  of  the 
Thessalonians,"  says  Dr.  MacKnight  on  this  passage, 
"  shows  that  he  expected  to  know  his  converts  at  the 
day  of  judgment.     If  so,  we  may  hope  to  know  our 
relatives  and  friends  there.     And,  as  there  is  no  rea- 
son  to   think   that,  in  the  future  life,  we  shall  lose 
those  natural  and  social  affections  which  constitute 
so   great   a  part   of    our   present    enjoyment,    may 
we   not   expect  that  those  affections,  purified   from 
everything  animal  and  terrestrial,  will  be  a  source  of 
our   happiness  in   that  life   likewise?     It  must   be 
remembered,  however,  that,  in  the  other  world,  we 
shall  love  one  another,  not  so  much   on  account  of 
the  relation  and  friendship  which  formerly  subsisted 
between  us,  as  on  account  of  the  knowledge  and  vir- 
tue which  we  possess.     For,  among  rational  beings, 
whose  affections  will  all  be  subject  to  the  high  state 
of  moral  and  intellectual  perfection,   to  which  they 
shall  be   raised,  the   most   endearing  relations    and 
warmest  friendships  will  be  those  which  are  founded 
on  excellence  of  character." 

*  Mant  s  Happiness  of  the  Blessed,  p.  82. 


Recognition.  253 

But  the  objection  will  arise,  that  if  the  followers 
of  Christ  are  to  meet  with  full  recognition  in  the 
heavenly  world,  they  will  know  that  some  who 
were  their  kindred,  or  beloved  friends  on  earth, 
are  not  there.  How  the  effect  of  such  knowledge 
is  to  be  counteracted  so  that  it  shall,  in  no  wise, 
be  incompatible  with  the  perfect  happiness  of  the 
redeemed,  is  more  than  can  be  fully  answered  at 
present.  We  must  leave  this  to  be  regulated  by 
a  God  who  Himself  has  shown  a  tenderness  to 
those  feelings  of  affection  which  He  has  implanted 
in  us,  and  who  can  work  by  means  of  which  we 
know  nothing.  All  that  can  be  said  is,  that  affec- 
tion in  heaven  will,  doubtless,  be  excited  by  supe- 
rior motives,  viz.  by  the  relation  of  our  friends  to 
Christ — their  perfect  holiness — their  being  joined  in 
the  same  blessed  society — engaged  in  the  same  holy 
employments.  When  the  Christian  shall  be  made 
"  as  the  angels  of  God,"  he  will  have  such  a  regard 
to  the  holiness  and  justice  of  God  as  will  lead 
him  cheerfully  to  acquiesce  in  His  righteous  judg- 
ments. 

The  great  practical  use  of  the  doctrine  we  have 
been  considering  is,  to  give  us  just  and  Scriptural, 
and.  at  the  same  time,  attractive  views  of  heaven. 
It  shows  how  false  is  the  imagination  which  many 
have  of  heaven,  as  a  place  "  where  all  the  warm  and 


251  My    FATHER'S  House. 

sensible  accompaniments  which  give  such  an  expres- 
sion of  strength,  and  life,  and  colouring  to  our  pres- 
ent habitation,  are  attenuated  into  a  sort  of  spiritual 
element,  that  is  meagre  and  imperceptible,  and 
utterly  uninviting  to  the  eye  of  mortals  here 
below/'-  And  with  what  force  does  it  appeal  to 
all  the  most  tender  sympathies  of  the  heart,  not 
only  to  make  preparation  ourselves,  but  to  pro- 
mote preparation  in  others,  especially  "our  kin- 
dred according  to  the  flesh,"  for  that  world.  And 
O  how  soothing  is  this  doctrine  to  the  Christian, 
mourning  for  those  who  "sleej)  in  Jesus!"  It  eays 
to  the  Rachels  who  weep  for  their  babes,  "Sorrow 
not  as  those  without  hope ;  you  shall  see,  and  know, 
and  embrace  them  again;  and  they  shall  still  be 
yours  in  heaven."  "  You  will  never,"  as  has  been 
pleasingly  and  plausibly  suggested,  "  be  without  an 
infant  child.  The  children  of  others — your  other 
children — may  grow  up  to  manhood  and  woman- 
hood, and  suffer  all  the  adverse  changes  of  mor- 
tality; but  the  one  that  gladdened  your  parental 
eye  for  a  few  short  months,  and  at  the  end  of  its 
little  period  expired,  is  alone  rendered  an  immortal 
child.  Death  arrested  it  with  its  kindly  harshness, 
and  blessed  it  into  an  eternal  image  of  youth  and 
beauty."     Yes !    yes,   thou   Christian    parent !    hus- 

*  Dr.  Chalmers. 


Recognition.  255 

band!  wife!  child!  by  faith  in  Jesus  thou  shalt 
hereafter  see,  and  know,  and  love  those  dear  ones 
who  have  gone  to  that  peaceful  shore,  where 

i;  Adieus  and  farewells  are  a  sound  unknown." 


256  My    FATHER'S    House 


LITTLE    CHILDREN    IX    HEAVEN. 

rFANTS  die  to  live.  As  stars,  which  glitter  for 
a  brief  moment,  through  the  darkness  of  the 
night,  but  when  we  look  again  are  invisible  ;  not 
because  they  have  fallen  from  heaven,  but  because 
they  have  melted  away  into  the  light  of  a  cloudless 
morning ;  so  dying  infants  are  taken  to  be  planted  in 
the  diadem  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness.  In  conver- 
sation with  an  eminent  living  divine,"  the  pleasing 
thought  was  suggested  by  him,  that  those  who  are 
taken  to  heaven  in  infancy,  may  always  remain 
children ;  not  such  weak,  suffering  and  dependent 
creatures,  as  they  were  on  earth,  but  bright  cherubs, 
perfect  children ; — perfect  in  beauty  and  in  purity. 
The  Scriptures  speak  expressly  of  "  the  small  and 
great," f  both  appearing  together  in  eternity,  before 
God.  It  was  to  "  the  small "  as  well  as  to  "  the 
great,"  that  a  voice  came  out  of  the  throne,  saying, 

*Rev.  Dr.  Spring.  t  Rev.  xix.  5  ;  xx.  12. 


Little    Children    in    Heaven.  257 

"  Praise  our  God  ;"  and  they  responded  when  the 
voice  of  a  great  multitude  was  heard,  "  as  the  voice 
of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice  of  mighty  thunder- 
ings,  saying,  "  Alleluia :  for  the  Lord  God  omnipo- 
tent reigneth."  The  hope  is  not  altogether  without 
warrant,  therefore,  that  Christians  who  have  lost 
infant  children,  shall  never  he  without  them — that 
their  death  was,  indeed,  a  ';  kindly  harshness,  which 
"blessed,  them  into  an  eternal  image  of  youth  and 
beauty."  "What  earthly  home  is  not  made  happier 
by  the  presence  of  little  children,  with  all  their 
infirmities,  the  cares  they  impose,  and  the  anxieties 
they  awaken  ?  Without  them,  a  home  may  be  filled 
with  much  that  is  graceful  and  refined ;  like  a  garden, 
it  may  have  many  fine  walks  and  arbours,  but  it  is 
a  garden  without  flowers.  What,  then,  will  our 
"  Father's  House  "  in  heaven  be,  filled  with  those 
who  are  infants,  without  weakness  and  without  wTants, 
and  clothed  upon  with  all  the  beauty  and  loveli- 
ness of  angels ;  and  who,  like  murmuring  ripples, 
which  serve  to  swell  the  voice  of  many  waters,  when 
they  break  upon  the  shore,  shall  bear  their  humble 
part  in  heaven's  immortal  song.  As,  of  that  great 
multitude,  which  no  man  can  number,  who  already 
have  gone  from  earth  to  heaven,  they  form  the  vast 
majority,  it  is  obvious  that  we  fail  to  do  justice  to 
the  subject,  if  we  ignore  so  important  an  element  in 
the  redeemed  society. 


258  My    FATHER'S    House 

The  rule  which  an  Apostle  lavs  down*  as  that  by 
which  God  will  be  governed  in  judging  the  heathen 
world,  at  the  last  day,  leaves  us  no  room  to  doubt  as 
to  the  salvation  of  all — the  children  of  heathen  as  well 
as  of  Christians — who  die  in  infancy.  The  standard 
of  judgment  is  the  light  or  knowledge  which  men 
have  severally  enjoyed.  The  heathen  will  not  be 
judged  by  the  revealed  law,  or  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
because  they  have  never  had  this  revelation.  They 
will  be  judged  according  to  the  light  which  they 
possess,  which  is  commonly  called  the  light  of  nature. 
Having  sinned  against  this  light,  they  must  give 
account  thereof,  in  the  day  when  God  shall  judge  the 
secrets  of  men  by  Jesus  Christ.  If  the  heathen  will 
not  be  judged  according  to  the  revealed  will  of  God, 
because  they  have  been  ignorant  of  it ;  it  is  certain 
that  infants  who  die  before  they  have  any  knowledge 
of  it  will  not  be  judged  by  it.  And  they  are  just  as 
ignorant  of  the  light  of  nature,  as  they  are  of  revela- 
tion, and  cannot  be  judged  by  it;  and,  therefore,  we 
conclude  that  there  is  no  law  that  will  condemn 
them  on  the  day  of  Judgment.  Their  intellectual 
faculties  have  not  yet  been  developed ;  hence  it  is 
impossible  for  them  to  know  God,  or  the  invisible 
things  of  Him,  from  the  things  which  are  clearly 
seen,  namely,  His  works.  It  is  impossible  to  teach 
them  to  understand  God's  Holy  "Word.  In  other 
*Eom.  ii.  12,  1G. 


Little    Children    in    Heaven.  259 

words,  God  has  made  no  revelation  of  any  kind  to 
infants,  whose  intellectual  faculties  remain  in  embryo. 
Even  were  we  to  concede  that  the  Scriptures  are 
silent,  as  some  have  maintained,  on  the  question  of 
the  salvation  of  infants,  we  might  here,  perhaps,  dis- 
cover the  reason;  the  Bible  was  not  written  for 
tliem — is  not  addressed  to  them.  If  they  are  not 
referred  to  "  in  its  overtures  of  mercy,"  it  is  equally 
true  that  they  come  not  under  "  its  proclamation  of 
duty,"  nor  its  threatenings  of  future  punishment. 
And  the  salvation  of  the  infants  of  pagans,  of  infidels, 
and  of  the  most  wicked  men,  is,  in  the  light  of  this 
rule  of  judgment,  just  as  certain  as  the  salvation  of 
the  children  of  the  most  devout  and  faithful  Chris- 
tians. "There  is  no  respect  of  persons  with  God."* 
He  is  perfectly  impartial  and  treats  all  on  precisely 
the  same  principles.  All  are  alike  ignorant  of  the 
written  law,  and  as  yet  have  not  had  a  law  written 
on  their  hearts  ;  consequently  there  is  no  standard  of 
judgment  by  which  any  of  them  can  be  condemned. 
When  the  books  are  opened*  the  only  one  with  which 
"  the  small,"  who  stand  before  God,  will  have  any 
concern,  is  the  Book  of  Life.  There  will  be  nothing 
in  the  book  of  Nature,  or  the  Book  of  God's  written 
Law,  or  the  books  of  Memory  and  Conscience,  in 
which  they  will  have  any  concern. 

The  future   punishments,   which    are    denounced 

*Rom.  ii.  11. 


260  M  v    FATHER'S    House. 

against  the  wicked,  in  the  word  of  God,  are  repre- 
sented as  always  for  the  actual  transgressions  of 
persons,  who  are  capable  of  choosing  or  refusing 
good  and  evil ;  and  therefore  cannot  be  intended  for 
those  who  die  before  they  are  able  to  distinguish 
between  good  and  evil.  "  Every  idle  word  that  men 
shall  speak,  they  shall  give  an  account  thereof,  in  the 
day  of  judgment."  "  We  must  all  appear  before  the 
judgment-seat  of  Christ,  that  every  one  may  receive 
the  things  done  in  the  body,  according  to  that  which 
he  hath  done,  whether  it  be  good  or  evil."  So  far 
as  suffering  in  the  future  world  consists  in  remorse, 
infants  who  have  never  rejected  mercy,  grieved  the 
Spirit,  or  rebelled  against  God,  are  of  course  incapa- 
ble of  experiencing  it.  "  I  cannot  find,"  to  use  the 
language  of  Dr.  Watts,  "in  the  whole  book  of  God, 
one  syllable  of  the  punishment  of  infants,  either  in 
their  souls  or  bodies  after  this  life ;  all  that  the  Scrip- 
tures reveal  of  punishment,  in  a  world  to  come, 
whether  it  be  in  a  separate  state,  or  at  the  resurrec- 
tion, falls  upon  those  only  who  have  been  guilty  of 
actual,  personal  transgressions,  and  are  proper  objects 
of  a  judgment."* 

Again:  "if  without  personal  participation  in  the 
sin  of  Adam,  all  men  are  subject  to  death,  may  we 
not  hope  that  without  personal  acceptance  of  the 
righteousness  of  Christ,  all  who  die  in  infancy  are 

*  Ruin  and  Recovery,  xxi. 


Little    Children    in    Heaven.  261 

saved?"  -"  The  doctrine  of  the  imputation  of  Adam's 
sin  to  the  whole  of  his  posterity,  does  not  mean  that 
the  moral  turpitude  of  Adam's  sin  was  transferred  to 
his  posterity — that  his  act,  in  some  mysterious  man- 
ner, was  their  act,  or  that  his  sin  was  personally  that 
of  all  men  ;  nor  does  it  mean  that  there  is  a  deprava- 
tion of  soul,  or  the  infusion  of  any  positive  evil ;  it 
simply  means  that  there  is  such  a  connexion  between 
Adam,  as  a  natural  and  federal  head,  and  his  des- 
cendants, that  his  disobedience  is  the  cause  of  their 
loss  of  original  righteousness,  whence  arises  an  actual 
and  universal  tendency  to  sin,  and  is  the  ground  of 
their  subjection  to  penal  evils.  It  is  no  part  of  the 
Scripture  doctrine  of  imputation,  that  eternal  death  is 
ever  the  doom  of  any,  merely  on  account  of  Adam's 
offence,  without  respect  to  their  own  depravity  of 
heart,  or  actual  transgressions  of  the  law  of  God.  f 
Men  perish,  on  account  of  their  personal  offences,  and 
because  they  refuse  to  avail  themselves  of  proffered 
deliverance  from  that  state  of  corruption  and  con- 
demnation, into  which  they  are  brought  by  the  first 
Adam.  Such,  clearly,  is  the  teaching  of  the  great 
Apostle,  in  that  memorable  passage,  contained  in  the 
fifth  chapter  of  Romans,  from  the  twelfth  verse  to 
the  end.  He  is  establishing  the  doctrine,  in  this  pas- 
sage, that  sinners  are  justified  by  the  righteousness 

*  Dr.  Hodge  on  Rom.  v.  12-21.  Rem.  5.    f  See  Hodge,  Idem.  Doct.  2. 


262  Mr    FATHER'S    II  o  u  s  k  . 

of  one,  that  is,  Jesus  Christ,  just  as  they  are  con- 
deraned  by  the  sin  of  one,  that  is,  of  Adam.  He 
shows  that  such  was  the  effect  of  Adam's  sin,  in 
bringing  death  upon  his  posterity,  that  it  reigned 
even  over  young  infants,  that  had  not  been  guilty  of 
actual  transgression.  Death  reigns  over  them,  not 
only  because  they  are  subject  to  mortality,  but 
because  every  child  is  born  in  spiritual  death,  has  a 
corrupt  nature,  brings  into  the  world  with  him  a 
native  sinfulness  of  character,  which,  without  regene- 
ration, will  belong  to  him  for  ever. 

The  Apostle  further  teaches — and  it  is  at  this  point 
that  the  Gospel  sheds  so  glorious  a  light,  "discloses 
the  fall  slumbering  under  the  sun-beams  of  the 
recovery,  and  the  wrecks  of  sin  presenting  foretokens 
of  the  triumphs  of  grace,  and,  on  the  withered  stem 
of  humanity,  revealing  buds  of  approaching  beauty, 
and  blossom  and  fruit  "* — the  Gospel,  I  say,  teaches 
that  the  blessings,  purchased  by  the  death  of  Christ, 
far  exceed  the  evils  incurred  by  Adam's  sin.  If 
Christ  had  done  no  more  than  to  remove  the  sentence 
which  was  passed  upon  mankind  because  of  Adam's 
sin,  the  Gospel  would  open  no  door  for  the  salvation 
of  those  who  are  guilty  of  actual  transgressions  ;  but 
the  door  would  be  open  wide,  for  the  salvation  of  our 
dying  infants;  for    not  having  sinned  actually,  the 

*  Dr.  Cummin^s  Infant  Salvation  :  London,  1848,  p.  34. 


L  itt  l e    Child  r b n    i n    Heaven.  2G3 

sentence  passed  upon  the  race  on  account  of  Adam's 
sid,  is  the  only  sentence  that  rests  upon  them.  But 
the  propitiation  of  Christ  is  sufficient  to  save  actual 
transgressors — publicans,  persecutors,  and  malefac- 
tors ;  who  then  can  doubt  its  efficacy  to  save  those, 
our  dying  babes,  who  have  not  sinned  "after  the  simi- 
litude of  Adam's  transgression,"  i.  e.  are  incapable  of 
sinning,  by  actual,  personal  transgression,  as  Adam 
did?  "We  may  rest  assured,  now,  that  Christ  has 
died,  and  satisfied  the  law  not  only  for  that  breach  of 
it  by  which  death  entered  into  the  world,  but  has  so 
satisfied  it  that  actual  transgressors,  even  the  vilest, 
may  be  saved,  that  all  who  die  before  they  can 
possibly  become  actual  transgressors,  are  admitted  to 
heaven.  All  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  their 
salvation  have  been  effectually  removed.  As  without 
their  personal  participation  in  the  sin  of  Adam,  they 
became  subject  to  death,  so,  by  the  imputation  of 
Christ's  righteousness,  without  their  personal  accept- 
ance of  it,  they  are  made  partakers  of  everlasting- 
life. 

O,  it  is  a  heart-consoling  truth  that  Christ  died  for 
little  children.  If  his  blood  was  sufficient  to  cleanse 
a  dying  malefactor,  it  is  sufficient  to  wash  away  the 
stains  of  original  sin,  in  those  who  are  innocent  of 
personal  offences.  This  world  is  full  of  the  graves  of 
little  children.  There  is  a  grim  reaper  among  the 
flowers,  whose  name  is  Death. 


204  Mr    FATHER'S    Hoi 

"'Shall  I  have  naught  that  is  fair,'  saith  he  ; 

•  Have  naught  but  the  bearded  grain?' 
He  reaps  the  bearded  grain  at  a  breath, 
And  the  flowers  that  grow  between."* 

O,  it  is  a  delightful  thought,  that  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  sets  them  free  from  the  only  sentence  of 
condemnation  that  could  be  inflicted  on  them.  O,  it 
is  an  enrapturing  thought,  that  He  who  passed 
through  the  several  periods  of  human  life,  with  our 
nature  upon  Him,  that  He  might  sanctify,  and  save 
it,  was  once  an  infant,  and  that,  when  on  the  cross, 
He  saw  of  the  travail  of  His  soul,  and  was  satisfied, 
He  beheld  among  the  armies  of  his  worshippers 
myriads  of  infant  souls — an  innumerable  company  of 
those  concerning  whom,  with  matchless  grace,  drop- 
ping from  His  lips,  He  had  said,  "  Of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven." 

The  salvation  of  infants  is  not  in  conflict  with  a 
single  one  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  or 
doctrines  of  grace.  It  is  not  inconsistent  with  the 
doctrine  of  regeneration,  and  the  necessity  of  that 
change,  in  all  who  would  enter  into  the  heavenly 
kingdom.  This  change  in  infants,  before  they  are 
fit  subjects  of  instruction,  must  of  course  be  effected 
without  means,  by  the  immediate  agency  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  The  same  Being  who  sanctified 
Jeremiah  and  John  the  Baptist,  from  the  womb,  is 

*  Longfellow. 


Little    Children    in    Heaven.  265 

able,  in  like  manner,  to  sanctify  others  who  are 
spared  to  a  mature  age  in  this  world,  and  all  those 
young  children,  who  are  taken  out  of  it,  before  they 
have  committed  actual  transgression.  "  They  are 
regenerated  and  saved  by  Christ  through  the  Spirit, 
who  worketh  when,  and  where,  and  how  He 
pleaseth."*  If  we  reject  the  doctrine  of  infant 
regeneration,  on  the  ground  of  its  mysteriousness, 
we  may,  on  the  same  grounds,  reject  the  regeneration 
of  adults ;  for  who  can  tell  how  the  Spirit  operates, 
in  renewing  the  hearts  of  those  who  can  understand 
the  terms  of  the  Gospel?  The  principle  of  real, 
saving  grace  may  exist  in  the  hearts  of  children  who 
are,  as  yet,  incapable  of  actively  exercising  that 
grace.  "  An  adult  cannot  be  regenerated,  without 
his  new  nature  expressing  itself  in  faith.  But  the 
Spirit  conies  to  infants  as  the  dew  on  Hermon,  and 
as  He  works  in  the  secret  parts  of  the  earth,  they 
may  be  regenerated,  and  be  united  to  Christ's  body 
by  the  illapse  of  the  quickening  power  from  the 
divine  Head,  though  that  life  may  slumber  in  them, 
as  the  living  principle  slumbers  in  the  unsown 
wheat."f  There  is  nothing,  then,  incredible  in  the 
idea  that  God  may  commune  with  the  spirit  of  a  little 
child ; — rather  is   there   something  grateful  in   the 

*  Westminster  Confession,  x.  §  3. 
f  Dr.  Hodge  in  Bib.  Repertory  for  April,  1855. 
12 


2GQ  My    FATHER'S    House. 

thought  that  that  Spirit  who  is  so  often  grieved  away 
from  the  worldly,  perverse  hearts  of  men  and  women, 
who  comes  to  make  them  His  temple,  but  finds  them 
polluted  with  idols,  may  yet  take  up  His  residence 
in  hearts,  which  never  yet  have  been  defiled  with 
evil  thoughts,  corrupt  motives,  impure  desires,  and 
unholy  passions. 

Nor  is  the  doctrine  of  infant  salvation  irreconcil- 
able with  the  sovereignty  of  divine  grace.  None 
will  pretend  that  their  salvation  is  left  to  accident, 
or  that  they  are  saved  without  a  Divine  purpose. 
But  it  cannot  be  pretended  that  they  are  chosen 
on  account  of  foreseen  faith  and  repentance,  of 
which  they  are  not  capable.  If  God  has  chosen 
them,  He  must  have  chosen  them  ';  according  to 
the  counsel  of  His  own  will."  He  foreknew  and 
predestinated  them  to  be  heirs  of  His  glory.  The 
doctrine  of  sovereign,  unconditional  salvation  is, 
after  all,  one  of  the  brightest  revelations  of  hea- 
ven, because  it  secures  the  salvation  of  those  mil- 
lions of  little  beings  who  just  alight  on  these  mortal 
shores,  then  wing  their  way  to  mingle  in  the  scenes 
of  a  brighter  and  happier  world. 

Such  will  be  the  triumphs  of  redeeming  love.  The 
whole  tenor  of  the  Gospel  makes  it  evident  that  all 
who  die  previous  to  the  age  of  responsibility,  are 
taken  by  the  good  Shepherd  into  His  eternal  fold- 
That  Gospel,  which,  while  it  affords  the  impenitent 


Little    Childrkx   in    Heaven.  267 

no  hopes  of  safety,  teaches  that  it  is  God's  delight 
to  receive  the  returning  prodigal,  and  declares  that 
whosoever  will,  may  come  and  take  of  the  waters  of 
life  freely — that  Gospel,  I  say.  which  bears  so  gra- 
cious an  aspect  towards  rebellious  offenders,  opens 
wide  the  door  of  mercy  to  those  who  cannot  be 
charged  with  impenitence  and  unbelief. 

But  the  Scriptures   are   not  wanting  in  passages 
which  necessarily  imply,  or  directly  teach   the   con- 
soling truth  which  is  involved  in  its  general  system 
of  doctrines.     "  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  suck- 
lings  hast  Thou  ordained  strength,"  or  "perfected 
praise.'7"     This   is    the   passage  which    our   Saviour 
quoted    to   confound   the   chief  priests    and   scribes, 
who  were  greatly  displeased,  because  little  children 
cried  in  the  temple,  "  Hosanna  to  the  son  of  David!" 
If  nothing  more,  it  seems  to  teach  that  there  is  a 
peculiar  excellence  in  the  praises  of  children  who, 
by  the  Assembly  of  Divines,  are  said  to  come  nearest 
to  our  lost  estate  of  innocency.     Out  of  their  mouth 
praise   may  be   more  perfect,  and,  therefore,  more 
acceptable,  to  God,  than  from  the  lips  of  those  who 
have  defiled  themselves  by  a  long  course  of  trans- 
gression.    "It  seems   to   me,"   says    an    intelligent 
American   missionary,    "  we    need   infant   choirs   in 
heaven    to    make    up    full   concert   to   the   angelic 
symphony.     Who  will  sing  like  unto  them  of  the 

*  Psalm  viii.  2  ;  Matt.  xxi.  16. 


268  My  FATHER'S  House. 

manger,  and  the  swaddling-clothes,  and  of  the  Lord 
of  all,  drawing  nourishment  from  the  bosom  of  mor- 
tal mothers!  True,  these  are  themes  of  infinite  inte- 
rest, and  the  delight  and  wonder  of  angels.  But  oh! 
they  are  too  tender  for  the  archangel's  powerful 
trump — too  tender  for  the  thundering  notes  of 
cherubim  and  seraphim.  "We  must  have  infant 
choirs  in  heaven."* 

'•  The  harp  of  heaven 
Had  lacked  its  least,  but  not  its  meanest  string, 
Had  children  not  been  taught  to  play  upon  it, 
And  sing  from  feelings  all  their  own,  what  men 
Nor  angels  can  conceive  of  creatures  born 
Under  the  curse,  yet  from  the  curse  redeemed, 
And  placed  at  once  beyond  the  power  to  fall, — 
Safely  which  men  nor  angels  ever  knew, 
Till  ranks  of  these,  and  all  of  those  had  fallen."' \ 

There  are  several  passages  in  the  New  Testament 
which  record  the  tender  regard  our  Saviour  had  for 
little  children,  and  seem  expressly  to  teach  that  they 
are  the  heirs  of  salvation.  On  a  certain  occasion, 
His  disciples  ashed  Him  this  question,  "  Who  is  the 
greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven?"  He  answered 
it  by  taking  a  little  child,  and  placing  him  in  the 
midst  of  them,  and  telling  them  that  unless  they 
were  converted,  and  became  as  little  children,  they 
could  not  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  and  that 

*  Rev.  Mr.  Schauffler.  t  J-  Montgomery. 


Little    Children    in    Heaven.  269 

in  order  to  be  greatest  in  that  kingdom,  they  must 
humble  themselves  as  that  little  child:  and  added, 
"Whoso  shall  receive  one  such  little   child  in  my 
name  receiveth  Me."*     He  goes  on  to  add,  "Take 
heed  that  ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones ;  for 
I  say  unto  you,  that  in  heaven  their  angels  do  always 
behold  the  face  of  my  Father,  which  is  in  heaven. 
For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  save  that  which  is 
lost."     "  Even  so,  it  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father 
which   is  in   heaven,  that   one  of  these   little   ones 
should  perish."     How  must  the  disciples  have  under- 
stood their  Master,  with  the  little  child  in  the  midst, 
and  having  just  heard  Hm  say  that  they  must  be 
converted,  and   become   as   little   children,  or   they 
could  not  enter  heaven  ?     They  must  have  supposed, 
that  by  the  "  little  ones,"  not  one  of  whom  it  is  God's 
will  should  perish,  He  referred   to   little   children. 
Those   who   are   converted,    and  become   like   little 
children,  are,  doubtless,  figuratively  included;  it  is 
not  the  will  of  our  heavenly  Father  that  they  should 
perish ;— how,  then,  can   it  be  that  those  who   are 
selected   as   the   standards   of    comparison,   patterns 
for  imitation,  should  ever  perish? 

"  Of  sue n  is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. "f  "I  think 
it  at  least  highly  probable,"  says  the  Rev.  John 
Newton,  "  that  when  our  Lord  says,  '  Suffer  little 
children  to  come  unto  Me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for 

*  Matt,  xviii.  5.    *  f  Matt.  xix.  14. 


270  Mr    FATHER'S    House. 

of  sucli  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven,'  He  does  not  only 
intimate  the  necessity  of  our  becoming  like  little  chil- 
dren in  simplicity,  as  a  qualification,  without  which 
(as  He  expressly  declares,  in  other  places)  we  cannot 
enter  into  His  kingdom,  but  informs  us  of  a  fact,  that 
the  number  of  infants,  who  are  effectually  redeemed 
unto  God  by  His  blood,  so  greatly  exceeds  the  aggre- 
gate of  adult  believers,  that,  comparatively  speaking, 
His  kingdom  may  be  said  to  consist  of  little  chil- 
dren." As  if  the  full  import  of  what  He  had  said 
to  His  disciples  was,  "  Think  not  that  little  children 
are  beneath  my  notice  ;  think  not  that  I  am  a  stran- 
ger to  little  children ;  suffer  them  to  come  to  me, 
and  forbid  them  not.  I  have  often  been  in  their 
society ;  I  love  their  society  ;  the  world  from  which 
I  came,  and  to  which  I  go,  is  full  of  little  children." 
Dr.  Scott  says  that  "  the  expression  may  intimate 
that  the  kingdom  of  heavenly  glory  is  greatly  consti- 
tuted of  such  as  die  in  their  infancy."  "  The  expres- 
sion," says  Dr.  Russell,  who  has  treated  this  subject 
with  great  ability,  "means  that,  'of  such  it  is,  in  a 
great  measure,  made  up,'  because  they  will  form  a 
very  great  proportion  of  the  redeemed  family  of  hea- 
ven." The  Saviour  appears  to  have  had  the  univer- 
sal salvation  of  all  them  who  die  in  infancy  in  His 
view.  His  reasoning  is  not  "  of  persons  resembling 
such  in  character  is  the  kingdom  made  up,"  for  this 
would  not  warrant  the  conclusion  drawn,  that  chil- 


Little    Children-    in    Heaven.  271 

dren  ought  not  to  be  hindered  from  being  brought  to 
Him,   in   order  to   be  blessed.     When   Christ  says, 
"  Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me,"  "  nothino- 
can  be  plainer,"  says  John  Calvin,  "than  that  he 
intends  those  who   are   in  a  state  of  real  infancy. 
And  to  prevent  this  from  being  thought  unreasona- 
ble, he  adds,  '  Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.' 
And  if  infants  be   necessarily  comprehended,  It  is 
beyond  all   doubt  that  the  word  'such5  designates 
both   infants   themselves   and    those   who    resemble 
them."    "  All  those  whom  Christ  blesses  are  exempted 
from  the  curse  of  Adam  and  the  wrath  of  God  ;  and 
as  it  is  known  that  infants  were  blessed  by  Him,  it 
follows  that  they  are  exempted  from  death.*   "  When 
our  blessed  Lord,"  says  Dr.  Hodge,  "  uttered  those 
dreadful   words,    'He   that  believeth   not  shall    be 
damned,'  He  did  not  mean  to  shut  the  doors  of  hea- 
ven in  the  face  of  the  countless  clouds  of  departed 
infants,  the  purchase  of  His  blood,  which  flock  as 
doves  to  the  celestial  gates,  and  of  whom,  as  He 
Himself    says,     his     kingdom     largely    consists. "f 
"  Heaven   has.  many  joys,  joys  which  no  man  has 
seen  or  could  express ;  and  all  its  joys  must  be  from 
beholding  the  glory  of  the  Lamb,  as  it  sheds  blessing 
and  beauty,  and  truth  over  all ;  but  it  were  worth 
centuries  of  Christian  service  and  trial  here  to  reach, 
at  last,  the  threshold  of  our  'Father's  house,'  and 
*  Institutes,  iv.  c.  16  §  7  and  31  f  Bib.  Repertory,  April,  1855. 


272  My    FATHER'S    House. 

look  in  upon  the  happy  family  of  His  little  children, 
growing  in  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  praise,  under 
His  delighted  eye  and  perfect  teaching."* 

As  it  has  pleased  God  to  call  so  many  from  this 
world  in  their  infancy,  what  multitudes  have  already 
gone  up  to  the  mansions  of  the  blessed !  If  of  the 
thousands  of  millions  of  our  race  who  have  gone 
down  to  the  grave,  one-half  died  in  infancy,  and  a 
considerable  number  of  the  remainder  were  prepared 
for  death,  by  repentance  of  their  sins,  and  faith  in 
the  Lord  Jesus,  then  does  it  appear  that  God  is 
rapidly  replenishing  His  kingdom,  with  holy  and 
happy  subjects — that  heaven  has  already  become  the 
most  populous  portion  of  His  empire.  Christ  already 
sees  of  the  "  travail  of  His  soul,  and  divides  the  spoil 
with  the  strong."  For,  mark,  the  doctrine  is  not 
that  salvation  is  confined  to  the  deceased  infants  of 
believing  parents,  but  that  the  children  of  irreligious 
parents,  of  infidels,  and  of  heathen  who  die  before 
they  are  of  sufficient  age  to  incur  personal  guilt,  are 
all  saved.  The  thousands  of  infants  that  perished 
when  the  world  was  destroyed  by  a  flood — those  that 
were  consumed,  when  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were 
burned  with  fire  and  brimstone — those  slain,  in  the 
sack  of  towns  and  cities,  in  the  bloody  wars  of 
ancient  nations — those  whose  blood  was  spilt  by 
Kebuzaradan,  and  by  Herod  in  Bethlehem,  and  the 

*  Dr.  Bethune's  <:  Early  Lost,  Early  Saved,"  p.  85. 


Little    Children'    in    Heaven.  273 

adjacent  villages,  when  a  voice  was  heard,  lamenta- 
tion, and  weeping,  and  great  mourning — those  that 
perished  in  the  siege  of  Jerusalem— and  those  whose 
bodies  have  been  offered  up  to  heathen  deities — went 
to  heaven.  God  overrules  the  wars,  the  judgments, 
men's  crimes,  and  even  the  horrid  custom  of  sacri- 
ficing infants,  to  the  filling  up  of  his  kingdom. 
Thousands  upon  thousands  offered  as  victims  upon 
pagan  altars,  have  been  borne,  by  angels,  to  heaven, 
who,  if  they  had  been  permitted  to  live,  would  have 
become  idolaters,  and,  perhaps,  in  their  turn,  have 
sacrificed  their  offspring.  Those  ministering  spirits 
are  sent  not  only  to  Christian  but  to  heathen  shores, 
to  bear  the  immortal  spirit  of  the  dying  infant  to  the 
presence  of  that  Saviour  who  said,  "  Suffer  little 
children  to  come  to  me."  And  thus  does  He  divide 
the  spoil  with  the  strong.  "  From  the  worst  barbari- 
ties of  the  heathen,  God's  love  and  wisdom  thus 
extract  blessings."  With  all  the  numberless  infants 
who  have  been  thrust  into  the  flaming  arms  of 
Moloch — who  have  been  hurried  from  the  womb  to 
the  grave  by  their  Polynesian  mothers — offered  up 
in  the  groves  of  the  Druids,  or  "  left  to  perish  in  the 
Ganges,  or  to  die  in  the  streets  of  Pekin,  it  is  well." 
They  are  a  part  of  that  multitude  whom  no  man  can 
number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people, 
and  tongues,  who  stand  before  the  throne  and  before 
the  Lamb,  with  white  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands. 

12* 


274  My    FATHER'S    Ho- 

lt is  true  the  death  of  infants  and  children  often 
involves  many  circumstances  of  a  very  afflictive  cha- 
racter. The  smitten  child,  like  the  son  of  the  poor 
Widow  of  Zarephath,  may  be  an  only  one ;  or,  if  not 
an  only  one,  may  be  esteemed  the  flower  of  fairest 
promise,  and  have  entwined  its  tendrils  around  the 
warmest  affections  of  the  heart.  The  object  on  which 
was  centred  many  fondly-cherished  hopes  has  been 
suddenly  cut  down,  and  a  chasm  produced  in  the 
domestic  circle,  and  in  the  sympathies  of  the  bosom, 
which  no  sublunary  object  can  ever  fill.  A  shadow 
is  left  by  the  hearth-stone  which  can  never  more 
depart.  The  parent  takes  his  dear  one  from  his 
bosom,  and  lays  it  down  in  the  shroud,  while  his 
heart  is  pierced  with  the  most  poignant  sorrow. 
Alas !  how  insecure  are  our  choicest  pleasures  and 
our  most  valued  blessings !  Like  the  dew  upon  a 
flower,  like  the  beauty  of  a  full-blown  rose,  how  soon 
they  vanish,  and  we  see  them  no  more.  Who  but  a 
bereaved  parent  can  know  the  grief  of  those  who  are 
called  to  lay  their  children  in  the  grave. 


"I've  sat  and  watched  by  dying  beauty's  head. 
And  burning  tears  of  hopeless  anguish  shed  ; 
I've  gazed  upon  the  sweet,  but  pallid  face, 
Aud  vainly  tried  some  comfort  there  to  trace  ; 
I've  listened  to  the  short  and  struggling  breath  : 
I've  seen  the  cherub  eye  grow  dim  in  death." 


Little    Children-    rx    Heaven.  275 

But  whilst  the  death  of  children  involves  many  cir- 
cumstances of  a  painful  and  distressing  character,  it 
is  by  Christianity  rendered  glorious,  and  even  attrac- 
tive. There  is  something  lovely  in  the  departure  of 
an  infant  to  he  with  Christ  and  his  angels.  We  are 
fain  to  imagine  that — 

'•'  Some  angel  brighter  than  the  rest  "* 

is  sent  to  conduct  the  spirit  to  its  mansion  near 
the  throne.  We  look  upon  the  lifeless  clay,  beau- 
tiful in  death.  We  -  can  say,  Better  die  young 
than  incur  a  dishonoured  name,  at  a  riper  age,  and 
spend  an  old  age  of  shame.  Better  that  the  opening 
flower,  all  moist  with  the  dew  of  the  morning,  should 
~be  plucked  by  a  gentle  hand,  to  gladden,  with  its 
perfume  and  beauty,  the  choicest  apartment  of  the 
house,  than  that  the  tempest,  at  night,  should  rudely 
shatter  its  stalk,  and  scatter  its  petals  over  the  miry 
ground.  We  gaze  upon  features  pale  and  cold,  but 
which  have  never  been  disturbed  by  envy,  malice,  or 
revenge  ;  never  have  been  darkened  by  pining  grief. 
And  as  we  gaze  there  is  no  retrospect  of  reverses,  of 
vicissitudes,  of  sorrows,  and  of  sins.  True,  we 
behold  the  remains  of  one  who  was  the  offspring  of 
degenerate  parents;  who  was  heir  to  a  depraved 
nature,  and  could  be  saved  only  by  the  atoning 
merits  of  a  crucified  Saviour,  and  the  renewing  grace 

*  Pres.  J.  Q.  Adams. 


276  My    FATHER'S    House. 

of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  who,  if  life  had  lasted,  would 
have  been  exposed  to  temptation  and  sin.  But  how 
consolatory  the  reflection  that  the  new-born  soul, 
which  so  lately  animated  the  now  lifeless  frame, 
adorns,  like  a  starry  gem,  the  crown  of  Immanuel, 
and  vies  with  the  angelic  host  in  exalted  songs  to  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain. 

It  is  to  Christianity  that  we  are  indebted  for  the 
most  effectual  consolations  in  the  hour  of  bereave- 
ment. "  Tell  us,"  says  Dr.  Chalmers,  "  if  Christian- 
ity does  not  throw  a  pleasing  radiance  around  an 
infant's  tomb  ?  and  should  any  parent  that  hears  us 
feel  softened  by  the  touching  remembrance  of  a 
light  that  twinkled  a  few  short  months  under  his 
roof,  and  at  the  end  of  its  little  period  expired, 
we  cannot  think  that  we  venture  too  far  when 
we  say,  that  he  has  only  to  persevere  in  the  faith  and 
in  the  following  of  the  Gospel,  and  that  very  light 
will  again  shine  upon  him  in  heaven.  The  blossom 
which  withered  here  upon  its  stalk  has  been  trans- 
planted there  to  a  2)lace  of  endurance ;  and  in  the 
name  of  Hm  who,  if  on  earth,  would  have  wept 
along  with  them,  do  we  bid  all  believers  present 
to  sorrow  not  as  others  which  have  no  hope,  but 
to  take  comfort  in  the  thought  of  that  country 
where  there  is  no  sorrow  and  no  separation.''"  Is  it 
no  privilege  to  know  that  our  dear  ones  are  among 

*  Lect.  on  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  xiv. 


Little    Cuildeex    in    Heaven.  277 

the  angels  in  heaven — that  their  sweet  voices  min- 
gle in  the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb  ?  I  think  I 
can  enter  somewhat  into  the  feelings  of  an  afflicted 
missionary,  when  he  wrote,  "  I  think  of  the  moment 
when  I  shall  fold  my  little  ones  to  a  father's  bosom 
again,  and  that  for  ever ;  and  tears  of  joy  and  gra- 
titude flow  down  my  cheeks  involuntarily.  Even 
now,  while  I  am  writing,  the  voices  of  two  of  my 
children — is  it  possible  I — yes,  of  my  children,  are 
singing  praises  unto  Hm  who  became  a  poor  babe 
and  a  man  of  sorrow  for  them,  and  for  all  men.  O, 
let  them  sing  then  !" 

Perhaps  the  eye  of  some  irreligious  parent,  who 
has  been  bereaved*  of  children,  may  fall,  on  these 
pages.  And  are  you,  then,  the  parent  of  children 
"  passed  into  the  skies  ?  "  They  cast  their  glitter- 
ing diadems  at  the  feet  of  that  Saviour  whose  prof- 
fered mercy  you  are  still  neglecting.  They  praise 
and  adore  Hnr  to  whom  you  neglect  to  pray.  They 
are  gone  from  you.  O,  are  they  lost*  for  ever  ?  The 
Christian  parent,  when  similarly  bereaved,  can  say : 
Gone,  but  not  lost, 

"  A  treasure  but  removed, 
A  bright  bird  parted  for  a  clearer  day  ; 
Mine  still  in  heaven."  * 

Mine    hereafter    to    meet — mine    to    love — mine 
with  whom  to  rejoice  in  eternal  hymns  to  a  glorified 
*  Mrs.  Hem  an  s. 


278  My  FATHER'S  House. 

Saviour.  Can  you  adopt  this  language  ?  O,  will 
the  period  ever  come  when  you  shall  again  embrace 
those  sweet  cherubs — sweeter  far  than  when  they 
bore  "the  image  of  the  earthy."  Methinks  they 
beckon  to  you  from  their  thrones.  Methinks  they 
stand  ready  to  welcome  you  to  those  blissful  man- 
sions. 


Who   will   be   There.  279 


XYI. 

WHO    WILL    BE    THERE. 

THE  l$ew  Testament  leads  us  not  to  Mount  Sinai, 
which  burned  with  fire,  and  was  made  terrible 
by  blackness,  and  darkness,  and  tempest,  a  sight 
which  made  "Moses,  the  man  of  God,"  fear  and 
quake,  but  unto  mount  Sion,  "  unto  the  city  of  the 
living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innu- 
merable company  of  angels,  to  the  general  assembly 
and  church  of  the  first  born,  which  are  written  in 
heaven,  and  to  God,  the  Judge  of  all,  and  to  the 
Spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  and  to  Jesus  the 
Mediator  of  the  new  covenant."  *  Sinai  is  a  figure 
of  the  old  dispensation ;  Sion  of  the  new.  The  pro- 
mises and  ordinances  of  the  new  point  to  the  glories 
and  blessings  of  the  church  above — to  heaven  itself — 
to  which  the  church  on  earth  is  continually  transmit- 
ting fresh  inhabitants.  The  Apostle  represents  the 
relation  between  the  family  of  God  on  earth,  and  that 
portion  of  it  which  is  above  as  so  close  that  Christians 

*  Heb.  xii.  18.  24. 


280  My   FATHER'S  House. 

maybe  spoken  of  as  having  already  joined  the  family 
of  God  in  heaven,  become  citizens  of  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem,  as  in  the  blessed  presence  of  God,  the 
Judge  of  all,  and  of  Christ  the  Mediator.  Hence, 
the  propriety  of  their  seeking  to  be  made  familiarly 
acquainted  with  a  place,  in  which  they  are  entitled 
to  the  privileges  of  citizenship,  and  with  which  they 
are  so  intimately  connected. 

The  happiness  of  such  a  creature  as  man  depends 
greatly  on  society.  The  society  of  heaven  has  been, 
in  part,  already  described.  All  its  members  are  per- 
fectly blessed,  and  are  agents  in  blessing  one  another. 
All  are  perfectly  holy ;  and  this  very  purity  of  the 
individuals  must  be  one  of  the  grounds  of  perfect 
congeniality,  and  therefore  of  happiness  to  the  whole 
assembly.  John  thus  describes  this  society:  *'I 
beheld,  and,  lo,  a  great  mulititude,  which  no  man 
could  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and 
people,  and  tongues,  stood  before  the  throne,  and 
before  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white  robes,  and 
palms  in  their  hands  ;  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice 
saying,  Salvation  to  our  God  which  sitteth  upon  the 
throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb.  And  all  the  angels 
stood  round  about  the  throne,  and  about  the  elders, 
and  the  four  beasts,  and  fell  before  the  throne  on 
their  faces,  and  worshipped  God,  saying.  Amen: 
Blessing,  and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and  thank-giving, 
and  honour,  and  power,  and  might,  be  unto  our  God 


Who    will    be    There.  281 

for  ever  and  ever.     Amen."-""     This  great  assembly 
was  composed  of  those  gathered,  not  from  the  Jewish 
nation  alone,  but  from  all  nations  and  parts  of  the 
earth.     They   came   out   of  great   tribulation,  from 
temptations,  sorrow,  sickness,  from  "torturing  racks," 
from  scorching  flames ;  but  they  made  their  robes 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.     And  now,  how 
changed    their    condition!       What    happiness    and 
honour  have   been   conferred   on   them.     They   are 
"before   the   throne   of  God,   and   serve    Him   day 
and  night   in  His   temple."     Their  mourning  and 
prayers  are  turned  into  praises— lofty,  high-sounding 
praises.     Salvation  to  God  is  their  theme,  while  all 
the  angels   join,  in  saying,   Amen.     There,   is   the 
glorious  Lord  of  all,  the  Creator  of  all,  the  Judge 
of  all.     There,  is  Jesus  the  Mediator  of  the  New 
Covenant— the   same  Jesus  that   once  appeared  in 
human  flesh,  whose  agony  Gethsemane,  whose  death 
Calvary,  witnessed.     There,  is  an  innumerable  com- 
pany of  angels,  who  kept  their  "first  estate,"  when 
others  fell,  bright  morning  stars,  sons  of  God,  who 
delight  to  make  man's  redemption  the  theme  of  their 
studies,  and  their  songs.     There,  are  crowds  of  little 
children,    who    were   never  guilty  of  actual    trans- 
gression— 

"  Called  early  from  life's  struggles  to  their  rest." 

There,  are  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect— 

*  Rev.  rii.  9.  12. 


282  My  FATHER'S    House. 

men  who  were  "justified"  by  faith  in  Christ,  and 
were  afterwards  "  glorified."  To  this  last-named 
element  in  the  heavenly  society,  "the  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect,"  let  us,  now,  more  particularly 
attend;  as  with  it,  we  can  but  feel  a  peculiar  kindred, 
and  sympathy. 

There,  are  many  who  have  lived  on  the  earth,  as 
we  now  live,  and  have  struggled  as  we  are  now 
struggling,  in  respect  to  whom  the  question,  "  Will 
they  be  there  ?"  may  be  answered,  with  entire 
certainty.  All  the  most  excellent,  who  have  lived 
on  the  earth,  have  gone  to  be  united  to  the  general 
assembly  and  church  of  the  first  born.  [Not  one 
name  of  those,  who  have  been  truly  good  on  earth 
will  be  found  wanting,  when  the  books  are  opened. 
In  respect  to  many  of  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  who 
are  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  we  are  not  left  to  doubt, 
that,  at  death,  they  passed  into  the  realms  of  eternal 
glory. 

Abel  will  be  there.  By  faith,  he  offered  a  sacri- 
fice which  was  well-pleasing  to  God ;  by  which  he 
obtained  witness  that  he  was  righteous,  and  has  been 
speaking,  although  dead,  for  nearly  sixty  centuries, 
to  the  generations  of  men.  He  showed  forth  the 
death  of  that  Saviour,  who  was  to  come,  and  thus 
confessed  his  utter  sinfulness,  and  entire  dependence 
on  His  atoning  blood.  It  was  not  his  own  righteous- 
ness, but  the  righteousness  of  Christ  which  gave  him 


Who    will    be    There.  283 

the  title  of  "righteous  Abel."  His  piety,  and  that 
mark  of  favour  which  it  procured  from  the  Supreme 
Being,  excited  against  him  the  rage  of  his  irreligious 
brother ;  and  he  fell  by  his  vindictive  hands,  and 
became  the  leader  of  the  noble  army  of  martyrs. 
He  was  the  first  to  enter  heaven  from  our  world,  and 
take  up  the  song  of  redeeming  love.  When  he 
entered  there,  he  had  no  creatures,  save  angels,  for 
his  companions ;  but,  if  there  is  joy  among  these 
holy  beings,  when  one  sinner  repenteth,  what  joy 
they  must  have  felt  when  they  beheld  the  first 
redeemed  sinner,  the  first  victim  of  death,  enterino- 
into  their  assembly  !  And  with  what  unspeakable 
joy,  must  he,  with  them,  have  welcomed  the  next 
soul  that  arrived  from  this  world  !  and,  at  length  his 
parents,  the  progenitors  of  our  race  !  And  how  has 
he  been  permitted  to  see  heaven  peopled,  with  thou- 
sands, and  tens  of  thousands,  redeemed  out  of  this 
world  of  sin  and  misery  !  The  whole  army  of  the 
living  God  follow  him  through  the  same  "subter- 
ranean avenue  to  bliss." 

Thither  went  up,  in  the  antediluvian  age,  one 
whose  story,  as  it  is  recorded  on  earth,  is  briefly 
told.  He  '-walked  wi tli  God  and  was  not,  for  God 
took  him."  What  a  splendid  biography  is  this! 
It  gives  us  the  picture  of  a  man  who  daily  com- 
muned with  God ;  who  lived  above  the  world ;  who 
breathed  the  very  atmosphere  of  heaven,  while  he 


28tt  My   FAT  II  BR'S  House. 

tabernacled  here  below.  There  was  another,  Enoch, 
who  had  a  city  called  by  his  name,  and  other  men 
have  sought,  by  what  are  styled  splendid  achieve- 
ments, to  erect  lasting  monuments  to  their  fame; 
but,  while  their  memorials  have  almost  entirely 
perished,  the  character  and  example  of  that  Enoch, 
who  "  walked  with  God,"  are  held  in  sacred  remem- 
brance. Eor  three  centuries  he  walked  with  God  in 
this  sinful  world,  and  then  "  God  took  him."  He 
was  translated ;  he  was  changed  and  glorified  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye.  He  was  taken  from  the  gloom 
of  a  dungeon  to  the  light  of  a  palace.  He  put  off 
the  mortal,  and  put  on  the  garments  of  immortality ; 
be  walks  with  God  in  heaven. 

There  was  another  saint  who  lived  in  evil  times; 
it  was  an  infidel  age.  The  wickedness  of  the  human 
race  was  so  great,  that  God  is  said  to  have  repented 
that  he  bad  made  man  upon  the  earth.  But  Noah 
was  an  exception  ;  be  found  grace  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord.  He  was  a  just  man,  and  perfect  in  his  gene- 
rations ;  and  be,  too,  walked  with  God.*  He  was 
raised  up  for  a  great  work.  He  witnessed  that 
mighty  catastrophe,  when  the  flood  came  upon  the 
earth,  and  all  in  whose  nostrils  was  the  breath  of  life 
of  all  that  was  in  the  dry  land  died.  The  trees,  the 
grass,  the  flowers  perished.  He  listened  to  the  shrill 
cry  of  despair  of  millions,  in  their  last  agony,  but  was 
*  Gen.  vi.  9. 


Who    will    be    Thekk.  28i> 

safely  wafted  over  an  ocean  of  dark  and  agitated 
waters,  where  floated  the  carcases  of  unnumbered 
beasts,  the  trunks  of  uprooted  trees,  fragments  of 
temples,  and  of  houses,  and  the  corpses  of  millions 
of  men.  He  listened  to  the  roar  of  the  tempest,  and 
the  sullen  dash  of  shoreless  waters,  but  could  hear 
not  'even  the  wild  scream  of  a  raven  or  vulture, 
making  haste  to  the  ample  feast,  But  God  remem- 
bered him.  The  same  hand  that  shut  him  in,  in  due 
season,  opened  the  door  of  the  ark  for  his  discharge. 
The  ocean  was  made  to  know  its  bounds ;  rivers 
sought  their  ancient,  or  found  new  channels  ;  trees 
and  grass  grew  again ;  animals  multiplied.  He 
lived  to  see  the  earth  extensively  populated  with 
his  own  immediate  descendants,  and  thus  became 
the  second  progenitor  of  the  human  race ;  and  then 
went  to  be  an  heir  of  eternal  glory,  as  he  had  been 
an  "  heir  of  the  righteousness  which  is  by  faith."* 

Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  have  sitten  down  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  It  was  with  these  patri- 
archs that  God  entered  into  covenant  to  be  a  God 
to  them,  and  their  seed  after  them.  It  was  by  faith 
that  Abraham  looked  for  a  city  that  had  foundations, 
whose  builder  and  maker  is  God.  His  successors 
possessed  the  same  faith.  And  He  who  came  down 
from  heaven,  and  knows  all  who  are  there,  has 
expressly  told  us  that  these  patriarchs  are  of  the 
*  Heb.  xi.  7. 


286  My  FATHER'S    Ho. 

number.  He  told  "  the  children  of  the  kingdom  " 
that  manv  should  come  from  the  east  and  the  west. 
and  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.     They  are  now  at  the 

marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.  They  have  inherited 
the  promises  which  they  saw  afar  off,  and  embraced. 
They  were  wanderers  while  in  this  world — now  in 
Mesopotamia,  now  in  Palestine,  now  in  Egypt,  now 
in  Arabia — having  no  certain  dwelling-place.  But 
they  have  long  since  arrived  at  home — have  found 
the  city  which  hath  foundations. 

Seated  with  them  in  that  kingdom  is  another,  who 
was  called  by  Providence  to  fill  one  of  the  most 
exalted  earthly  stations — who  was  the  prime  min- 
ister or  viceroy  of  one  of  the  most  powerful  of 
earthly  kingdoms ;  who  was  clothed  in  princely 
robes,  with  a  chain  of  gold  about  his  neck,  and 
received  every  mark  of  the  highest  honour.  During 
the  long  years  of  his  exile  from  the  society  of  his 
godly  father,  he  remained  faithful  to  the  religion 
and  service  of  his  God,  as  well  amidst  the  gaieties 
of  a  palace,  and  the  blandishments  of  a  court,  as 
in  the  solitude  of  a  prison.  He  possessed  faith  to 
the  last,  and  when  called  to  meet  death,  was  sus- 
tained by  a  hope  full  of  immortality.  He  remem- 
bered the  promise  of  God  to  his  fathers,  and  instead 
of  coveting  a  splendid  mausoleum  in  Egypt,  to  which 
his  high  office  and  important  public  services  would 


W  ii  o    will    be    There.  287 

have  entitled  liim,  and  which,  like  those  of  a  Thot- 
mes,  or  of  an  Amenophis,  would  have  handed  his 
name  down  to  coming  generations,  he  solemnly 
charged  his  brethren  to  embalm  his  body,  and 
take  it  with  them,  when  the  time  arrived  for  them 
to  be  conducted  to  the  promised  land.  He  who 
had  this  confidence  in  the  promise  of  God,  that 
his  church  would  be  delivered  from  earthly  bond- 
age, and  so  much  care  for  the  body  that  was  about 
to  sleep  in  death,  could  cheerfully  trust  in  His  word, 
that  all  His  true  people  will  be  delivered  from  their 
bondage  to  sin,  and  Satan,  and  the  grave,  and  on  the 
resurrection-morning  go  up  with  all  the  ransomed 
tribes  of  the  spiritual  Israel,  to  take  possession  of 
the  heavenly  inheritance. 

Moses-  belongs  to  the  society  of  the  blessed  in 
heaven.  He  holds  a  prominent  place  in  that  cata- 
logue of  worthies,  in  which  the  Apostle  describes  the 
triumphs  of  faith.  He  surrendered  all  those  glitter- 
ing prospects  which  were  held  out  to  him,  as  the 
adopted  son  of  a  monarch's  daughter,  or  (which 
some  suppose),  as  the  nominated  heir  to  the  throne 
of  the  monarch  herself,  and  chose  to  identify  him- 
self with  his  down-trodden  race,  rather  than  enjoy 
the  pleasures  of  sin,  for  a  season.  He  could  not 
be  tempted  to  renounce  his  people,  and  the  reli- 
gion of  his  fathers.  He  esteemed  the  reproach  of 
Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures  of  Egypt. 


288  My    FATHER'S    House. 

He  had  respect  to  the  recompense  of  the  reward. 
God  was  with  him,  through  all  the  chequered  scenes 
of  his  earthly  career.     His  eye  was  upon  him  during 
the  long  period  of  thirty -eight  years,  when  he  was 
lost  to  the  sight  of  the  world,  and  even  sacred  history 
loses  sight  of  him,  doubtless  spent  in  roving  up  and 
down  the  Arab  ah,  and  over  the  vast  desert  of  Paran. 
At  length,  his  important  mission  was  concluded ;  and 
he  was  summoned  by  God  to  ascend  Mount  Xebo 
and  die.     With  a  firm  confidence  in  the  covenant 
of  his  God,  he  obeyed.     His  last  words,  uttered  in 
the  hearing  of  men,  were:  "There  is  none  like  unto 
the  God  of  Jeshuran.     Happy  art  thou,  O  Israel! 
who  is  like  thee,  O  people!  saved  by  the  Lord!" 
He   ascended   the   loftiest   summit  of  Pisgah,  from 
whence    he   could  see  the  rich   fields   of   northern 
Canaan,  and  trace  the  shadowy  outline  of  that  goodly 
mountain,  Lebanon.    At  his  feet,  just  across  the  river, 
he  beheld  Jericho  amid  its  palm-trees,  and  on  the 
utmost  limit  of  the  western  horizon,  might  descry 
the   haze  wdiich   hung   over  the  Mediterranean;  to 
the  south,  his  vision  swept  a  vast  and  varied  terri- 
tory, as  far  as  to  the  Arabian  desert.     As  he  gazed, 
his  eye  closed  in  death  to  open  on  a  brighter,  fairer 
Canaan ;  and  the  longing  that  he  had  to  "  go  over 
and  see  the  good   land   that  was  beyond  Jordan" 
was  more  than  gratified.     No  mortal   attended  his 
funeral,  nor  human  hands  prepared  his  sepulchre. 


Who    will    be   There.  289 

That  his  soul  went  to  heaven  we  know,  for  when 
our  Saviour  was  transfigured,  he  was  present,  bright 
with  celestial  glory,  to  grace  the  scene.  We  are 
taught,  moreover,  that  the  song  of  the  assembled 
multitude  in  heaven  will  be  "the  song  of  Moses, 
the  servant  of  God,  and  the  song  of  the  Lamb." 

David,  the  poet-king  of  Israel,  is  of  the  same  hea- 
venly company.  He,  who  was  a  sweet  singer  on 
earth,  is  a  sweeter  singer  in  heaven.  His  life,  to  a 
great  extent,  was  passed,  in  the  turmoil  of  camps  ;  he 
fell  into  some  great  sins ;  he  showed  that  he  was  a 
brother  of  our  weak  humanity, — that  he  had  an 
evil  nature,  which  sometimes  extracted,  groans  and. 
tears,  and  caused,  him  to  cry  out,  "  Have  mercy  upon 
me !"  But  he  was  also  a  great  penitent ;  he  was  a 
true  servant  of  God,  and  gave  proof,  when  called  to 
die,  that  he  was  prepared  by  the  lively  exercise  of 
faith  and  hope,  for  a  better  world.  It  was  not  his 
kingly  office,  nor  the  splendour  of  his  achievements, 
that  then  sustained  his  mind ;  but  his  confidence  in 
the  everlasting  covenant.  And  he  now  sweeps  a 
nobler  harp,  and  raises  a  sweeter  song,  and  wears  a 
brighter  crown,  than  he  ever  did  on  earth. 

There,  too,  is  Elijah,  the  most  remarkable,  perils, 
of  the  ancient  prophets,  next  to  Moses.  He  was 
employed  as  the  immediate  messenger  of  heaven, 
and  supported  by  a  continued  series  of  miracles. 
Although  a  man  of  like  passions  as  we  are,  he  prayed 

13 


290  Mt  FATHER'S  House. 

that  it  might  not  rain,  and  it  rained  not  upon  the 
earth  for  the  space  of  three  years  and  six  months  ;  he 
prayed  again,  and  the  heavens  gave  rain.  And.  like 
Enoch,  he  was  signally  honoured  by  being  translated, 
without  seeing  death.  Peradventure,  the  same  change 
took  place  in  his  body,  as  will  be  wrought  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  in  the  bodies  of  the  living,  by 
the  "  brightness*'  of  the  second  "  comino-."  A  chariot 
of  fire,  and  horses  of  fire,  appeared,  and  Elijah  went  up 
by  "  a  whirlwind  into  heaven."  This  eminent  servant 
of  God  was  the  companion  of  Moses,  at  the  Transfi- 
guration of  Christ. 

And  there  will  be  Sarah  and  Miriam,  and  all  the 
holy  women  of  old  ;  and  there  will  be  Isaiah,  and  Jere- 
miah, and  Daniel,  and  other  worthies  whose  charac- 
ters and  actions  are  portrayed  in  the  Old  Testament. 
And  there  will  be  the  thief  who  died  on  the  cross, 
by  the  side  of  our  Saviour,  to  whom  the  dying 
Saviour  said,  "  This  day  shalt  thou  be  with  me 
in  paradise."  There  will  be  Stephen,  the  martyr, 
who,  as  he  sunk,  pale  and  bleeding,  under  the  stones 
of  his  murderers,  saw  heaven  opened,  and  died  with 
the  prayer  on  his  quivering  lips,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive 
my  spirit."  And  in  the  same  shining  company 
will  be  he  who  held  the  clothes  of  those  who  stoned 
Stephen,  and  encouraged  the  assassins,  in  their  bloody 
work  ;  but  who,  from  being  a  persecutor,  became  an 
Apostle  ;  and  at  length  bade  adieu  to  the  world  in 


WHO      WILL     BE      THEKE.  291 

sublime  and  triumphant  strains :  "  I  am  now  ready 
to  be  offered  ;  I  have  fought  a  good  fight ;  I  have 
finished  my  course;  I  have  kept  the  faith."  Long 
since  Stephen  and  Saul  of  Tarsus  have  met,  and  toge- 
ther have  praised  redeeming  love.  There  will  be 
Peter,  who  once  denied  his  Lord ;  but  who  went  out 
and  wept  bitterly,  and,  in  subsequent  years,  gave 
proof  of  unshaken  firmness  and  courage.  And  there 
will  be  John,  who  leaned  upon  his  Saviour's  bosom, 
at  the  Supper,  and  in  Patmos  saw  heaven  opened, 
and  listened  to  the  hosannas  which  tilled  the  eternal 
regions — 

"  Loud  as  from  numbers,  without  number — sweet, 
As  from  blest  voices  uttering  joy." 

There  will  be  that  blessed  among  women,  Mary, 
the  mother  of  our  Lord — she  who  stood  weeping  by 
his  cross  has  long  stood  rejoicing  before  his  throne — 

"  There  Magdalene  hath  left  her  moan, 
And  cheerfully  doth  sing, 
With  blessed  saints,  whose  harmony 
In  every  street  doth  ring  ;;'* 

and  Mary  of  Bethany,  and  all  those  pious  women 
who  followed  Christ  with  their  tender  ministries,  in 
the  days  of  his  flesh,  « last  at  His  cross  and  earliest  at 
His  grave." 

Put  where  shall  I  arrest  myself  in  this  enumera- 
*  Old  Hymn,  by  F.  B.  P.,  Ms.  15,225,  British  Museum. 


292  My    FATHER'S    House. 

tion?  There  will  be  a  great  cloud  of  primitive  mar- 
tyrs, and  confessors,  who,  in  their  upward  flight, 
although,  not  translated  with  all  the  grandeur  of  cir- 
cumstances that  attended  the  translation  of  Elijah, 
yet— 

"  On  fiery  wheels  they  rode, 
And  strangely  washed  their  raiment  white 
In  Jesus'  dying  blood." 

There,  we  may  expect  to  meet  Luther,  and  Zuingle, 
and  Calvin,  and  Knox,  those  great  lights  of  the 
Reformation.  There,  Isaac  Newton  walking  on  a 
pavement,  whose  lustre  outshines  sun  and  stars,  and 
more  deeply  versed  in  "  the  sweet  wonders  of  the 
cross,"  than  in  all  the  arcana  of  nature.  There, 
Isaac  Watts,  whose  simple  hymns  have  helped  so 
many  a  pilgrim  on  his  way,  have  cheered  so  many  a 
dying  Christian — praising  with  an  immortal  lyre. 
There,  David  Brainerd,  Henry  Martyn,  Harriet 
Newell,  and  that  Christian  heroine  of  our  age,  Mrs. 
Ann  H.  Judson,  who  will  meet  with  many  souls 
come  out  of  great  Pagan  darkness.  There,  will  be 
Richard  Baxter,  and  John  Banyan,  whose  descrip- 
tions of  the  Pilgrimage  and  the  Rest,  have  blessed 
and  are  blessing  so  many  enduring  the  travails  of 
the  one,  and  sighing  for  the  other.  There,  that 
prince  of  Christian  orators,  "Whitefield,  whose  spirit- 
stirring  voice  was  heard  -  in  all  the  great  towns  of 


Who   will    be    There.  293 

England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  in  the  "West  Indies,  and 
in  America.  There,  those  eminent  servants  of  Christ 
whose  dust  awaits  the  archangel's  trump,  near  the 
spot  where  it  is  the  author's  privilege  to  write : 
Burr,  who  shined  in  the  pulpit,  with  superior  lustre  ; 
Edwards,  that  profound  philosopher,  that  prince  of 
theologians,  that  humble  Christian  ;  Davies,  "  In 
Mostris,  jper  Eloquiinn,  hlandum,  mellitum,  vehe- 
mens  simul,  et  perstringens,  null  I  secimdus  ; "  * 
Einley,f  who,  when  asked,  on  his  dying  bed,  what 
he  saw  in  eternity  to  excite  such  vehement  desires 
in  his  soul,  replied — "  I  see  a  God  of  love  and  good- 
ness ;  I  see  the  fullness  of  my  Mediator ;  I  see  the 
love  of  Jesus.  Oh !  to  be  dissolved ;  to  be  with 
lira  ;  I  long  to  be  clothed  with  the  complete  right- 
eousness of  Christ ;" — Witherspoon.  whose  erudition 
and  deep  insight  into  human  nature,  and  whose 
patriotism  at  a  "  time  which  tried  men's  souls,"  alike 
excite  our  admiration  ;  Stanhope  Smith,  unsurpassed 
in  elegance  of  person  and  manners,  and  for  the 
dignity  and  winning  grace  blended  in  his  expressive 
countenance  ;   Green,   whose  influence  was   always 

*  Inscription  on  his  Tomb.  Translated,  "  In  the  pulpit  by  means 
of  an  eloquence,  sweet,  winning,  and  at  the  same  time  vehement  and 
controlling,  second  to  none." 

t  He  was  buried  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  died,  but  a  Cenotaph 
to  his  memory  stands  among  the  tombs  of  the  Presidents  in  the 
burial  ground  of  Princeton 


291  Mr   FATHER'S   House. 

found  on  the  side  of  vital  piety  ;  and  who,  if  not 
the  originator  of  the  present  scheme  of  theological 
instruction  in  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
was  its  leading  promoter,  a  service  which  he  might 
well  consider  as  the  most  important  he  was  per- 
mitted to  render  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  There, 
doubtless,  are  nnited  again  the  venerated  Miller  and 
Alexander,  the  thread  of  whose  lives  had  been 
entwined  together  for  nearly  forty  years,  who  seve- 
rally considered  their  union  in  a  common  service  as 
one  of  their  greatest  blessings,  and  who,  with  marked 
differences  in  temperament,  habits,  and  manners, 
"never  had  an  alienation,  or  the  difference  of  an 
hour,'-"  They  have  met,  and  have  also  met  many 
of  their  pupils  whom  they  trained  for  the  Christian 
ministry,  some  of  whom  have  fallen  on  the  high 
places  of  the  field — Simpson  and  Lowrie,  who  are 
among  the  dead  of  the  sea — the  afflicted  but  mild 
and  patient  Kevins,  of  Baltimore,  who  said  to  a 
friend  who  approached  him  on  his  dying  bed,  "I 
have  looked  at  all  the  ground  of  my  hope,  and  I  find 
I  am  on  a  rock.  Yes,  I  am  going  home."  In  the 
same  blessed  company  will  be  found,  perhaps,  many 
of  our  kindred,  according  to  the  flesh — parents  or 
children,  a  husband  or  wife,  brothers  or  sisters,  all 
the  gentlest,  noblest,  purest  spirits  whom  we  have 
been  privileged  to  know  on  earth.     Heaven  has  long 

*  Dr.  Alexanders  Life,,  p.  382. 


Who    will    be    There.  "Jo 

been  gaining ;  and  the  attraction  of  its  society  con- 
stantly increasing.  It  is  society  in  which,  the  puri- 
fied spirit  will  feel  perfectly  at  home,  and  will  be 
perfectly  blessed.  Death,  the  great  harvester,  will 
continue  to  put  in  his  sickle  among  the  ripened 
grain.  At  length  the  saints  of  all  ages,  and  all  com- 
munions, shall  meet  in  one  assembly,  no  longer 
divided  by  distance  of  time  or  of  space :  "  and  there 
shall  be  one  fold  and  one  Shepherd." 

All  those  of  our  race  who  have  as  yet  entered 
heaven,  whether  young  or  old,  whether  Jews  or 
Gentiles,  obtained  admission  through  the  atoning 
merits  of  the  Larab  of  God,  and  the  gracious  opera- 
tion of  the  Holy  Spirit.  All  have  entered  that  fold 
by  the  same  Door.  Christ  is  that  Door ;  and  those 
who  seek  to  enter  in,  by  climbing  up  some  other 
way,  will  be  rejected  as  thieves  and  robbers.  How- 
ever gratifying  it  may  be  to  know  who  will  be  there, 
it  is  far  more  important  for  us  to  understand  what 
character  or  qualifications  men  must  possess  in 
order  to  enter  there.  "  Except  a  man  be  born  again, 
he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  "  Repent  and 
be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ."  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved."*  "Follow  peace  with  all  men, 
and  holiness,  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord."f     It  is  an  important  and  practical  question, 

*  Acts  xvi.  31— ii.  38 :  John  iii.  3.  t  Heb.  xii.  14. 


296  My    FATHER'S    House. 

wliicli  every  reader  should  ask  himself,  "  Shall  I  be 
there  ?" 

"When  Thou,  my  righteous  Judge  shalt  come, 
To  take  thy  ransomed  people  home, 

Shall  I  among  them  stand? 
Shall  such  a  worthless  worm  as  I, 
Who  sometimes  am  afraid  to  die, 

Be  found  at  thy  right  hand?" 


Who   will   not   be   There.  297 


XVII. 

WEO    WILL    NOT    BE    THERE. 

It  becomes  not  a  mortal  man  to  answer  the  ques- 
tions, Who  will  be  in  heaven  ?  and  Who  will  not 
be  there  ?  The  Oracles  of  God  have  spoken ;  and 
hence  our  business  is  not  to  invent  or  surmise  any- 
thing upon  this  important  subject,  but  simply  to 
ascertain  what  their  response  is.  These  lively  Ora- 
cles are  not  like  those  of  the  impostors  and  false  pro- 
phets of  heathenism.  They  do  not  speak  in  enigmas, 
nor  to  deceive :  "  And  there  shall  in  no  wise  enter 
into  it  anything  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever 
worketh  abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie ;  but  they 
which  are  written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life."*  "  For 
without  are  dogs,  and  sorcerers,  and  whoremongers, 
and  idolaters,  and  whosoever  loveth  and  maketh  a 
lie."f  "  Be  not  deceived ;  neither  fornicators,  nor 
idolaters,  nor  adulterers,  nor  effeminate,  nor  abusers 
of  themselves  with  mankind,  nor  thieves,  nor  covet- 

*  Rev.  xxi.  27.  f  Rev.  xsii.  15. 

13* 


298  My    FATHER'S  House. 

ous,  nor  drunkards,  nor  revilers,  nor  extortioners, 
shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God."*  The  Bible  has 
also  given  us  the  fearful  information  respecting  some 
of  the  individuals  the  outline  of  whose  history  it 
sketches,  that  they  never  entered  heaven. 

Cain,  the  first  murderer,  is  not  there.  He  was 
guilty  of  one  of  the  most  flagrant  crimes  in  the 
annals  of  human  wickedness.  By  one  Apostle,  it  is 
said,  he  "  was  of  the  wicked  one  ;".f  and  by  another 
a  woe  is  pronounced  $  against  all  those  who  go  in  the 
way  he  chose  for  himself.  He  grew  uj:>  without  the 
fear  of  the  Lord.  The  offering  that  he  brought,  when 
he  professed  to  worship,  was  not  one  becoming  a 
sinner.  It  was  a  bloodless  offering,  of  the  fruits  of 
the  ground.  It  was  not  a  sacrifice.  He  had  no  faith 
in  the  blood  of  atonement ;  he  refused  to  look  to  Cal- 
vary, through  the  blood  of  one  of  the  firstlings  of  the 
flock — to  the  seed  of  the  woman  that  should  bruise 
the  serpent's  head,  to  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world.  And  when  the  Divine 
Being  gave  his  brother,  who,  through  faith,  offered  a 
more  excellent  sacrifice,  some  tokens  of  His  approba- 
tion, his  resentment  was  kindled.  Envy  and  malice 
rankled  in  his  heart,  and,  when  a  favorable  moment 
presented,  he  imbrued  his  hands  in  the  blood  of 
that  unoffending,  righteous  brother.  Divine  ven- 
geance followed  him.  He  was  driven  from  the 
*  1  Cor.  vi.  9,  10.  1 1  John,  iii.  12.  t  Jude  11. 


WHO     WILL     NOT     BE     THERE.  299 

society  of  virtuous  men,  and  became  "  a  fugitive  and 
vagabond  in  the  earth."  It  is  expressly  said  that  lie 
"  went  out  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord."  Hence- 
forth, he  lived  without  God.  It  cannot  be  believed 
that  he  who  lived  in  this  world  a  reprobate  from  God, 
went  into  His  presence  when  he  left  it  for  another. 

In  like  manner,  it  may  be  confidently  asserted  that 
those  crowds  of  antediluvian  sinners  who  had  done 
despite  to  the  strivings  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  and 
whose  wickedness  increased  until  it  is  said  that  every 
imagination  of  the  thoughts  of  their  heart  was  only 
evil  continually,  and  it  even  repented  the  Creator 
that  He  had  made  man  upon  the  earth,  failed  of 
admission  to  the  mansions  of  our  Father's  house.  In 
sixteen  hundred  years,  the  earth  had  become  exten- 
sively peopled  ;  all  were  destroyed,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  eight  souls.  Noah  was  a  "  preacher  of  right- 
eousness ;"  he  warned  them  to  repent,  for  more 
than  a  hundred  years,  after  the  deluge  was  first 
threatened.  He  warned  them,  by  his  works  ;  the  use 
for  which  the  immense  vessel  he  was  constructing 
was  designed  was  not  concealed.  As  the  structure 
rose  and  approached  its  completion,  it  was  a  monu- 
ment of  his  faith  in  the  words  of  Jehovah  ;  but  they 
despised  and  sinned  on.  It  is  absurd  to  suppose  that 
the  waters  of  the  flood  were  sent  that  these  unbeliev- 
ing, mocking  sinners,  these  "  giants  "  in  wickednes3 
might  be  wafted  to  bliss,  and  the  only  man  who  had 


300  My   FATHER'S  House. 

been  found  righteous  before  God  might  be  tossed 
with  tempest  many  days,  and  only  escape  to  endure 
farther  trials  in  this  world,  for  centuries,  before  he 
should  be  admitted  to  the  same  bliss.  "  They  were 
eating  and  drinking,  marrying  and  giving  in  mar- 
riage, until  the  day  that  Koah  entered  into  the  ark, 
and  knew  not  until  the  flood  came  and  took  them  all 
away,"  or  "  destroyed  them  all."* 

"  Likewise,  also,"  continues  our  Saviour,  warning 
the  men  of  his  generation,  "  as  it  was  in  the  days  of 
Lot;  they  did  eat,  they  drank,  they  bought,  they 
sold,  they  planted,  they  builded ;  but  the  same  day 
that  Lot  went  out  of  Sodom,  it  rained  fire  and  brim- 
stone from  heaven,  and  destroyed  them  all."  The 
earth  had  again  become  populous,  and  men  dwelt  in 
cities.  The  cry  of  the  cities  of  the  plain  had  become 
great,  and  then*  sin  very  grievous.  At  length  the 
judgment  came.  !N"ot  even  the  prayer  of  Abraham, 
whom  God  styled  his  friend,  nor  the  residence  and 
possessions  of  one  good  man  in  them,  could  avail  to 
avert  it. 

And  Sodom  sank  beneath  the  burning  wave, 
And  Sodom's  streets  were  voiceless  as  the  grave. 

And  here,  again,  how  absurd  to  suppose,  that 
this  overthrow  was  sent  to  hurry  ungodly  men  into 
heaven,  whilst  "just  Lot"  was  left  to  endure  all  the 
bitter  trials  that   awaited  him  in  this  life !  to   be 

*Matt.  xxiv.  38,  39,  Luke  xvii.  27. 


Who     will    not    be    There.  301 

bereaved  of  his  children  and  wife,  to  be  stripped  of 
the  possessions  he  had  husbanded  so  fondly — but, 
■worst  of  all,  to  incur  the  sorrow  and  shame  that  came 
upon  him,  when  he  made  the  mountain  his  retreat ! 
No ;  an  Apostle  teaches  that  God,  by  "  turning  the 
cities  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  into  ashes,  condemned 
them  with  an  overthrow,  making  them  an  example 
unto  those  that  after  should  live  ungodly;  and  deli- 
vered just  Lot  vexed  with  the  filthy  conversation  of 
the  wicked."- 

Pharaoh,  who  persecuted  the  children  of  Israel  in 
Egypt,  is  not  in  heaven.  We  have  in  him  a  striking 
example  of  the  corruption  and  desperate  depravity 
of  the  human  heart.  lie  was  one  of  the  most  darino- 
transgressors  and  cruel  persecutors  that  ever  lived. 
When  Moses  and  Aaron  came  to  him,  with  the  com- 
mand of  the  Most  High,  that  he  should  let  the  people 
go,  he  impiously  replied,  "  Who  is  the  Lord,  that  I 
should  obey  His  voice  to  let  Israel  go?"  He  hurled 
defiance  at  Jehovah,  and  rushed  upon  the  thick 
bosses  of  His  buckler.  He  was  guilty  of  striving 
against  his  Maker.  It  would  seem  to  be  impos- 
sible, that  so  large  a  body  of  worshippers  of  the 
true  God,  should  have  resided  in  his  dominions 
so  long,  and  this  monarch  be  entirely  ignorant  of 
Him.  So  that  his  question  must  be  viewed  not  as 
expressive  of  real  ignorance,  but  as  one  of  proud 

*  2  Pet.  ii.  6,  7. 


302  My  FATHER'S  House. 

defiance.  The  history  of  Pharaoh  reveals  to  us 
•what  will  be  the  certain  fate  of  all  such  bold  and 
insolent  offenders.  His  impiety,  his  faithlessness, 
his  ingratitude,  his  wanton  cruelty,  point  him  out 
as  one  of  the  worst  of  men.  The  plagues  and  judg- 
ments which  were  sent  upon  his  kingdom,  failed  to 
move  him  to  obey  the  message  of  heaven.  He 
hardened  his  heart,  and  continued  to  despise  the 
most  solemn  warnings.  Some  of  the  fearful  calami- 
ties that  befell  him  seemed  to  have  a  momentary 
effect,  but  the  compunction  he  felt,  if  indeed  it 
deserved  that  name,  was  soon  dissipated,  and  he 
went  on,  still  more  hardened  in  his  controversy 
with  God,  and  more  inhuman  in  the  cruelties  he 
inflicted  on  the  people  of  Israel.  The  land  was 
visited  with  a  series  of  judgments,  probably  with- 
out a  parallel  in  the  history  of  any  other  nation. 
The  animals,  to  a  great  extent,  were  destroyed  by 
a  pestilence.  Men  were  visited  with  a  painful  dis- 
ease. A  fearful  tempest  swept  over  the  land,  and 
destroyed  the  grains  that  were  in  the  ear.  Clouds 
of  locusts  darkened  the  air,  and  consumed  the  crops 
that  were  just  springing.  A  darkness,  so  intense 
that  men  could  not  see  one  another  at  noonday, 
filled  the  land,  for  three  days.  At  length,  the 
destroying  angel  went  forth  at  midnight  and  slew 
the  first-born  in  every  Egyptian  family.  What  a 
cry  of  anguish  went  up, 


Who   will   not   be    There.  303 

"  0,  Egypt !  from  thy  stubborn  land, 

When  all  thy  first-born,  beasts  and  men, 
Fell  dead  by  His  avenging  hand," 

from  the  meanest  house,  and  from  the  palace  of  the 
tyrant  himself!  It  was  now  that  the  hitherto 
unyielding  and  reluctant  ruler  united  with  his  sub- 
jects in  entreating  the  Hebrews  to  depart  from  the 
country  ;  but  his  fears  only  were  operated  upon ;  his 
character  remained  the  same.  He  did  not  know 
how  to  give  up  so  immense  a  body  of  servants, 
who  had  contributed  so  largely  to  the  prosperity 
of  his  empire.  He  collected  his  army,  and  pur- 
sued them  to  re-capture  or  wreak  his  vengeance 
upon  them.  But  pride  goeth  before  destruction. 
Having  overtaken  the  Hebrew  camp  at  a  spot 
where  they  were  shut  in  by  the  mountains  and 
the  western  gulf  of  the  Red  Sea,  wearied  with 
his  hurried  march,  he  encamped  for  the  night. 
Now  behold  a  miraculous  deliverance,  and  the 
overthrow  of  the  haughty  persecutor !  The  angel 
of  the  Lord  that  had  hitherto  preceded  the  camp 
of  Israel  in  a  pillar  of  cloud  and  of  fire,  removed 
to  the  rear,  and  that  mysterious  symbol  settled 
down  between  the  two  camps.  As  the  darkness 
of  the  night  increased,  it  reflected  a  bright  light 
among  the  Israelites ;  but  to  the  Egyptians  it  only 
served  to  make  the  darkness,  in  the  direction  of 
the  Hebrew  camp,  more  intense.     Moses  was  now 


304:  My   FATHER'S   House. 

commanded  to  lift  up  his  rod,  and  stretch  his  hand 
over  the  sea.  Forthwith  a  strong  east  wind  blew, 
which  heaped  the  waters  up,  opening  a  path  directly 
through  the  sea,  the  waters  standing  as  if  "  con- 
gealed"* into  solid  walls,  on  the  right  hand  and 
the  left,  as  the  hosts  of  Israel  marched,  in  the 
silence  of  the  night,  towards  the  opposite  shore. 
It  was  near  the  dawn  when  the  Egyptians  dis- 
covered that  the  Israelitish  camp  had  been  broken 
up.  They  pressed  after  them,  following  in  the 
miraculous  pathway ;  but  their  chariot- wheels  were 
mysteriously  removed ;  a  sudden  fear  seized  them, 
and  they  turned  to  flee.  It  was  just  at  the  dawn 
of  day.  The  last  of  the  Hebrews,  the  last  of  their 
herds  and  flocks  stood  on  the  opposite  shore.  Moses 
again,  at  the  Divine  command,  stretched  forth  his 
hand,  and  instantly  those  aqueous  walls  fell,  the  sea 
returned  in  its  strength,  burying  the  embattled  legions 
in  one  common  sepulchre.  Not  one  escaped  ;  the 
wheels  of  chariots,  helmets  of  warriors,  spears  and 
bows,  and  the  pale  corpses  of  the  men  who  had 
borne  them,  scattered  on  the  shores  of  the  gulf, 
were  all  that  was  left  of  that  proud  army.  "  The 
horse  and  his  rider"  sank  like  "lead  in  the  mighty 
waters."  Thus  was  God  "honoured,"  according  to 
His  word,  "  upon  Pharaoh,  and  upon  all  his  host." 
Thus  perished  Pharaoh.     Thus    ended   his   contest 

*  Ex.  xv.  8. 


Who    will    xot    be    There.  305 

mth  his  Maker.  He  was  suddenly  destroyed,  and 
that  ■without  remedy.  But  to  suppose  that  this 
heartless  persecutor  was  taken  to  heaven  when  he 
died,  is  to  suppose  that  punishment  fell  upon  the 
chosen  people  who  were  left  to  the  perils  and  priva- 
tions of  the  desert,  rather  than  upon  him. 

Balaam,  the  magian,  is  not  in  heaven.  When  this 
wicked  man  said,  "If  Balek  were  to  give  me  his 
house  full  of  silver  and  gold,  I  cannot  go  contrary 
to  the  commandment  of  the  Lord ;"  and  when  he 
exclaimed,  "  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous, 
and  let  my  last  end  be  like  his,"  he  gave  evidence 
that  he  was  not  without  some  good  degree  of  light 
on  moral  and  religious  subjects.  He  seems  to  have 
known  the  right  way,  and  voluntarily  to  have  for- 
saken it.  This  is  clearly  implied  in  the  language 
of  an  inspired  writer,  in  the  New  Testament:  "They 
have  forsaken  the  right  way,  and  are  gone  astray, 
following  the  way  of  Balaam,  the  son  of  Bosor,  who 
loved  the  wages  of  unrighteousness."*  His  covetous- 
ness  was  his  ruin ;  this  led  him  to  disregard  the 
clearest  dictates  of  his  reason,  his  strong  convictions 
and  the  express  commands  of  God.  He  debased  his 
great  abilities,  and  perverted  them  to  carry  out  the 
vilest  artifices  in  iniquity.  But  where,  and  how  did 
he  die  ?  It  was  not  the  death  of  the  righteous,  for 
which  at  one  time  he  professed  so  earnestly  to  long. 

*  2  Peter,  ii.  15. 


306  My    FATHER'S    House. 

Having,  by  his  wicked  counsels  and  devices,  drawn 
the  people  of  God  into  the  most  flagrant  offences,  he 
then  incited  their  enemies  to  make  war  upon  them. 
He  was  found  in  their  camp,  and  slain  in  the  general 
massacre.  Having  lived  under  the  dominion  of  the 
basest  passions,  he  perished  in  his  sins ;  and  where 
the  holy  dwell  he  can  never  be  found. 

Xor  will  Saul,  the  first  of  the  Hebrew  kings,  be 
found  there.  Many  of  his  actions,  particularly  in 
the  early  part  of  his  reign,  were  laudable,  and  we 
are  constrained,  when  contemplating  this  part  of  his 
history,  to  forma  favourable  judgment  of  him.  After 
he  received  the  anointing  oil  from  Samuel,  as  he 
turned  to  depart,  the  sacred  penman  informs  us, 
"  God  gave  him  another  heart."*  But  this  expres- 
sion evidently  does  not  mean  that  he  gave  him  a  new 
heart,  but  simply  that  he  qualified  him,  having  raised 
him  from  an  obscure  station,  and  humble  employ- 
ments, for  the  high  office  of  king  and  commander  of 
the  armies  of  Israel.  Men  may  be  fitted  by  the 
gifts  which  the  Supreme  Being  can  bestow,  for 
important  posts  in  civil  society,  and  still  be  destitute 
of  saving  grace.  The  history  and  end  of  Saul  prove, 
that  he  never  possessed  this  grace.  He  never  had 
the  new  heart  which  was  given  to  Samuel,  and  to 
David,  lie  began  his  public  career  well,  and  for  a 
season,  he  ran  well ;  but  there  was  a  sad  change,  ere 

*  1  Samuel  x.  9. 


Who    will    not     be    There.  o07 

long.  He  departed  from  the  Lord  ;  he  violated  His 
express  commands  ;  and  by  vain  subterfuges,  at- 
tempted to  justify  his  wrong  conduct.  His  want  of 
integrity  of  heart  was  disclosed  in  the  most  palpable 
manner,  when  he  received,  and  professed  to  execute, 
the  directions  of  Jehovah  to  destroy  the  Amalekites. 
He  pleaded  his  pious  motives  in  sparing  a  portion  of 
the  spoils ;  but  the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled 
against  him,  because  with  the  Lord  obedience  is 
better  than  sacrifice.  The  bleating  of  the  sheep  and 
the  lowing  of  the  oxen  accused  him  to  the  prophet. 
His  sin  was  as  the  sin  of  witchcraft,  and  his  stubborn- 
ness as  iniquity  and  idolatry  ;*  and  the  Lord  rejected 
him.  He  went  on  from  bad  to  worse,  until  "  the 
Lord  repented  that  he  had  made  Saul  king  over 
Israel."  He  was  troubled  with  an  evil  spirit ;  that 
is,  Satan  appears  to  have  exercised  peculiar  power 
over  him,  in  tempting  him  to  evil.  He  repeatedly 
sought  to  imbrue  his  hands  in  the  blood  of  his  own 
son-in-law,  but  was  as  often  frustrated.  He  consulted 
a  sorceress  that  he  might  obtain  that  direction  and 
tance  from  the  evil  one  which  Heaven  had 
denied  him.  At  length  he  died  miserably  on  the 
field  of  battle,  not  as  the  brave  warrior,  by  the  hand 
of  a  foeman,  but  as  the  fool  dieth  ; — the  Philistines 
having  obtained  a  signal  victory  over  him,  in  the 

*  1  Sam.  xv.  14-23. 


308  M  v    F  a  T  H  E  R  "  S    House. 

madness  of  despair,  with  his  own  hand,  he  put  an 
end  to  his  wretched  existence. 

Ahab  is  not  among  the  blessed  in  heaven.  Al- 
though he  was  a  king,  he  was  a  most  abandoned  trans- 
gressor. He  was  an  idolater,  having  abjured  the 
worship  of  the  true  God,  and  he  led  the  people  over 
whom  he  ruled  into  the  same  sin.  He  sought  to  ex- 
terminate from  the  land  every  vestige  of  real  piety. 
He  persecuted  that  eminent  saint,  the  prophet  Elijah, 
and  other  faithful  servants  of  God,  and  demolished 
the  altars  of  the  Lord.  But  bounds  were  set  to  this 
oppressor.  He  perished  in  battle.  An  arrow 
pierced  him  between  the  joints  of  his  armour; 
and  as  he  felt  the  cold  hand  of  death,  he  "  scare 
no  sign "  of  repentance.  Dogs,  which  compassion- 
ately licked  the  sores  of  Lazarus,  came  and  greedily 
licked  up  the  blood  of  the  dying  man,  according  to 
the  word  of  the  Lord. 

Belshazzar  is  not  in  our  Father's  House  above. 
He  might,  through  the  pious  influence  of  Daniel, 
have  been  made  acquainted  with  the  true  religion, 
and  become  a  monument  of  the  victorious  power  of 
Divine  grace,  as  we  may  charitably  hope  was  the 
case  with  his  grandfather,  Nebuchadnezzar.-  But 
that  wise  counsellor  and  good  man  was  overlooked. 
He  was  guilty  of  a  daring  contempt  of  the  God  of 
Israel.     In  derision  of  His  people  and  their  worship, 

*  Daniel  iv.  34-37. 


Who  will  not  be  There.        309 

be  introduced  the  holy  vessels  into  a  profane  and 
drunken  feast.  But  in  the  midst  of  his  revelry  and 
mirth,  this  wicked  prince  reeled  with  fear,  as  he  saw 
a  hand  put  forth,  writing  his  doom  and  that  of  his 
kingdom,  on  his  palace  walls.  That  very  night,  the 
Medes  and  Persians  entered  the  gates  of  the  city, 
and  he  went  from  his  drunken  revel  into  the  pre- 
sence of  that  God  whom  he  had  contemned. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  the  Herods,  mentioned 
in  the  New  Testament.  They  were  Jews,  at  least, 
in  the  religion  they  professed.  They  had  the  Jew- 
ish Sciptures.  Herod  the  Great,  knew  that  Messiah 
was  to  come,  and  like  the  aged  Simeon,  ought  to 
have  welcomed  His  advent.  But  when  the  Eastern 
wise  men  inquired  at  Jerusalem,  "  Where  is  He  that 
is  horn  King  of  the  Jews?"  it  stirred  up  the  mind 
of  this  guilty,  unscrupulous  monarch  to  a  bloody 
purpose.  He  was  worthy  of  being  called  "great" 
only  because  he  was  great  in  ambition  and  crime. 
He  had  paved  his  way  to  the  throne  by  treachery 
and  blood.  He  rioted  in  blood.  His  second  wife, 
the  last  of  the  race  of  the  Asmonean  kings,  and  three 
of  his  own  sons,  he  caused  to  be  executed.  When 
he  had  waited  long  in  vain,  for  the  return  of  the 
wise  men,  all  the  jealousy  and  cruelt}7-  of  his  nature 
were  aroused.  He  was  now  an  old  man,  not  far 
from  three-score  years  and  ten.  He  had  ruled  for 
thirty  years  by  blood ;  and  the  appetite,  instead  of 


310  Mr    FATHER'S    House. 

being  satiated,  had  only  been  whetted  by  that  which 
it  fed  upon.  He  had  men— probably  soldiers  of  his 
guard — trained  to  execute  his  commands.  lie  would 
have  no  competitor,  no  aspirant  for  the  sceptre,  no 
one  sought  after  by  venerable  strangers  from  a  dis- 
tant country  as  "  the  King  of  the  Jews."  He  knew 
that  his  power  was  ill-gotten,  and  had  been  ill-used. 
He  was  goaded  by  the  furies  of  an  accusing  con- 
science. His  strong,  ruthless  executioners  are,  there- 
fore, sent  forth.  O,  what  a  night  was  that  for  Beth- 
lehem !  Murder  haunts  its  homes ;  and  sleeping- 
mothers  are  aroused  by  the  loud  wail  of  anguish, 
spreading  from  house  to  house.  The  sword  seeks 
the  life  of  every  male  child  of  two  years  and 
under.  There  are  no  hiding-places.  The  darkness 
is  no  protection.  The  scheme  was  too  well  laid ; 
its  agents  too  numerous,  and  too  much  skilled  in 
their  work,  to  be  eluded.  The  voice  of  lamentation 
which  was  heard  in  Ramah,  in  Jeremiah's  time, 
when  the  Babylonish  general,  after  destroying 
Jerusalem,  brought  all  his  prisoners,  and  con- 
demned them  to  the  sword  or  slavery,  was  heard 
again :  "  In  Hainan  was  there  a  voice  heard,  lamen- 
tation, and  weeping,  and  great  mourning,  Rachel 
weeping  for  her  children,  and  would  not  be  com- 
forted because  they  are  not."  Eamah  was  one  of 
the  small  villages  near  to  Bethlehem  to  whicli  the 
slaughter  extended.     The  tomb  of  Rachel  was  there. 


Who    will    not    be    There.  311 

and  perhaps  had  been  stained  with  the  blood  of  some 
child,  borne  thither  by  its  terrified  mother  for  con- 
cealment. It  is  a  beautiful  figure  which  the  Evan- 
gelist borrows  from  the  Prophet  to  represent  this 
mother  in  Israel,  standing  in  disconsolate  sorrow,  as 
if  risen  from  the  dead,  over  the  scene  of  slaughter. 
History  hardly  presents  a  more  revolting  chapter. 
But  this  slaughter  of  the  innocents  filled  up  the 
the  tyrant's  cup  of  indignation.  He  shortly  after 
perished  of  a  horrible  and  loathsome  malady, — 
"  smitten,"  as  Josephus  says,  "  of  God  in  this 
signal  and  grievous  manner  for  his  many  enormous 
iniquities."*  As  his  death  approached,  maddened 
at  the  thought  that  the  Jews  would  not  lament 
his  death,  he  caused  all  the  chief  men  of  the  nation 
to  be  put  under  arrest,  and  issued  a  decree,  that  at 
the  moment  of  his  death  they  all  should  be  put  to 
the  sword,  that  their  kindred  might  have  cause  to 
lament  his  death. 

Hekod  Antipas,  who  inherited  part  of  his  domi- 
nions, appears  also  to  have  inherited,  in  part,  at  least, 
his  cruel  nature.  The  preacher  of  righteousness, 
John  the  Baptist,  to  whom,  at  one  time,  he  had  lis- 
tened gladly,  he  sacrificed  at  the  demand  of  an 
immoral,  vindictive  woman.  The  remembrance  of 
his  crime  appears  to  have  haunted  him  wherever 
he  went.     He  knew  that   he  had    shed  innocent 

*  Antiq.  svii.  c  8. 


312  My    FATHER'S    Ho  use. 

blood,  the  blood  of  a  righteous  man.  The  splendours 
of  royalty  and  the  blandishments  of  guilty  loye  were 
not  sufficient  to  alia)'  his  painful  thought?.  When 
he  heard  of  the  wonderful  works  of  Christ,  his  guilty- 
conscience  susr^ested  that  it  was  John  the  Bap- 
tist  risen  from  the  dead.  "When,  at  last,  the  Sayiour 
of  the  world  stood  before  his  bar  for  trial,  he  arrayed 
him  in  the  robes  of  mock-majesty,  till  "  the  closing 
scene  of  the  drama  was  finally  ushered  in,  and  the 
heights  of  Calvary  were  steeped  in  the  blood  of  a 
crucified  Messiah."  This  wicked  persecutor  ended 
his  days  in  exile,  without  a  tear  to  bedew  his 
memory  in  this  world,  and  without  a  hope  to  cheer 
him  in  the  expectation  of  another. 

Herod  Agkippa,  whose  dominions,  by  the  favour  of 
the  emperor  Claudius,  came,  at  length,  to  be  as 
extensive  as  those  of  his  grandfather,  Herod  the 
Great,  appears  to  have  shared  in  the  ferocity  of  dis- 
position so  characteristic  of  this  family.  He  perse- 
cuted the  church.  The  elder  James,  one  of  the  two 
"  sons  of  thunder,"  he  caused  to  be  put  to  death 
with  the  sword,  and  was  about  to  treat  Peter  in 
the  same  manner,  but  he  came  to  a  sudden  and 
miserable  end.  During  a  festival  in  honour  of  the 
Roman  Emperor,  at  Csesarea,  he  betra^yed  a  wil- 
lingness to  receive  divine  honours :  but  God  smote 
him.  He  died,  like  Herod  the  Great,  of  a  horri- 
ble disease,  and  went  with   the  blood  on  bis  hands 


Who    will    xot    be    There.  313 

of  the  first  martyr  from  the  college  of  the  Apostles, 
before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ.  It  is  too  much 
to  ask  us  to  believe  that  these  unprincipled  bloody 
men  were  removed  to  constitute  a  part  of  the  loving 
family,  which  our  Father  is  assembling  in  His  house 
in  heaven. 

Judas  Iscakiot  is  not  there.  He  infamously 
betrayed  his  Master  for  a  paltry  sum  of  money. 
Although,  it  is  said,  that  he  repented,  it  is  evident 
that  his  repentance  was  nothing  more  than  remorse, 
that  sorrow  which  is  unto  death,  for  he  did  not  bring- 
forth  the  fruit  of  that  godly  repentance  which  is  unto 
life.  He  went  and  hanged  himself.  The  word  of  God 
informs  us  that  he  "  went  to  his  own  place. "*  And 
can  heaven  be  the  place  of  a  deceiver,  a  thief,  a 
betrayer,  and  a  suicide  ?  If  heaven  was  to  be  the 
everlasting  home  of  the  traitor,  would  the  Saviour 
ever  have  said,  "  It  had  been  good  for  that  man  if 
he  had  never  been  born  ?"  Can  a  man  live  and  die 
as  Judas  lived  and  died,  and  inherit  a  happy  immor- 
tality? May  he  while  on  earth  turn  away  from 
employments  and  joys,  in  their  nature  such  as  the 
angels  and  glorified  spirits  know,  and,  at  death,  find 
them  appointed  as  his  portion,  for  an  eternal  dura- 
tion ?  If  so,  then  there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  vir- 
tue— no  such  thing  as  vice — no  such  thing  as  crime ; 
Judas  committed  no  crime  ;  the  crucifiers  of  Christ 

*  Acts  i.  25. 
14 


314  My    FATHER'S    House. 

committed  no  crime  ;  in  a  word,  what  we  have  been 
in  the  habit  of  regarding  as  crime  is  mere  calamity, 
and  the  doctrine  of  divine  retributions  the  offspring 
of  a  groundless  theory.  This  is  the  inevitable  result 
of  the  doctrine  that  Judas  went  from  a  gallows  to  a 
seat  of  glory  in  heaven. 

One  of  the  thieves  that  was  crucified  with  our 
Lord  went  not  to  heaven,  but  went,  doubtless,  to  the 
same  place  with  Judas.  lie  joined  with  the  people 
who  stood  railing  at  Christ  on  the  cross,  and  refused 
to  join  with  his  companion  in  the  prayer,  "  Lord, 
remember  me,  when  Thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom." 
He  who  was  condemned  "justly"  to  the  cross,  and 
who  had  the  same  opportunity  of  discovering  the 
claims  of  Christ,  and  of  praying  to  him  as  his 
penitent  companion,  but  who,  in  the  very  agonies 
of  death,  refused  to  believe  on  the  bleeding  Lamb 
of  God,  before  his  eyes,  could  not  have  gone  to  para- 
dise. 

Nor  did  Pilate  go  there.  Yiewing  the  inspired  nar- 
rative in  connection  with  what  profane  history  records 
of  him,  we  shall  discover,  that  he  was  characterized 
not  merely  by  a  general  want  of  principle,  but  that 
his  conduct  was  stained  by  many  crimes.  He  seems 
to  have  had  a  natural  love  of  cruelty,  and  an 
intense  hatred  of  the  people  over  whom  he  was  a 
governor.  But  mark  the  bad  character  of  the  man, 
developed  at  the  trial  of  Jesus.     He  had  no  sense  of 


"Who  will    xot    be    There.  315 

justice  to  control  him  in  his  official  acts;  although 
convinced  of  the  spotless  innocence  of  the  Prisoner 
at  his  bar,  he  yielded  point  after  point  to  the  clamor- 
ous demand  of  his  accusers,  until  he  gave  sentence 
against  Hlsi  to  be  crucified.  The  end  of  this  unjust 
judge  was  in  keeping  with  his  wicked  career.  He 
was  soon  after  removed  from  his  office,  and  such  was 
his  character  that  even  the  nobles  of  Eome  shunned 
his  society.  He  was  at  length  driven  into  exile, 
where,  under  a  keen  sense  of  his  disgrace,  and  the 
reproaches  of  a  guilty  conscience,  he  ended  his  days, 
like  Judas,  upon  the  gallows.  An  old  poet,  in  allu- 
sion to  his  taking  water  and  washing  his  hands,  as  an 
emblem  of  his  innocence,  at  the  very  moment  when 
he  was  giving  up  to  death  one  in  whom  he  could  find 
no  fault,  describes  him  in  the  world  of  retribution  as 
under  the  waves,  nothing  visible  but  his  hands,  eter- 
nally washing  themselves,  but  never  purified.  To 
the  cmestion  who  he  was,  he  is  represented  as  answer- 
ins  : 


'  I  Pilate  am,  the  falsest  judge,  alas! 
And  most  unjust,  that  by  unrighteous 
And  wicked  doom,  to  Jews  dispiteous, 
Delivered  up  the  Lord  of  life  to  die, 
And  did  acquit  a  murderer  felonious, 
The  whiles  my  hands  I  washed  in  purity, 
The  whiles  my  soul  was  soiled  with  foul  iniquity." 


316  Mr    FATHER'S    House. 

The  time  would  fail  me  to  speak  of  those  whose 
characters  are  portrayed  on  the  pages  of  uninspired 
history,  who  were  guilty  of  such  crimes,  and  contin- 
ued under  the  influence  of  passions  so  malignant  up 
to  the  very  moment  of  death,  that  we  could  hardly 
be  said  to  pronounce  on  their  eternal  destiny,  by 
asserting  that  they  never  entered  heaven.  AVhat 
shall  we  say  of  those  who  lighted  the  fires  of  mar- 
tyrs— of  him*  who  put  out  the  eyes  of  his  captives, 
and  tore  their  skin  and  flesh  with  iron  rakes  and 
harrows,  and  threw  them  headlong  from  his  battle- 
ments? of  himf  who  pounded  thousands  of  people 
to  pieces  in  large  mortars,  or  built  them  up  among 
bricks  into  a  wall?  What  shall  we  say  of  an  Anti- 
ochns  Epiphancs,  of  a  jSTero,  or  a  Caligula  I  What 
shall  we  say  of  midnight  assassins,  and  murderers, 
and  pirates?  xV  world  composed  of  such  characters, 
under  the  influence  of  the  same  malignant  passions 
and  principles  they  displayed  on  earth,  would  con- 
tain elements  of  misery  of  which  it  is  impossible  at 
present  to  conceive. 

Ah !  there  is  a  companionship  of  the  lost  and 
wretched  as  well  as  of  the  blessed.  There  must 
be  a  place  for  the  chaff  as  well  as  for  the  wheat. 
There  must  be  a  complete  separation  of  one  from 
the  other.     The  chaff  cannot  be  gathered  into  the 

*  Asdrubal.  t  Tamerlane. 


"Who    will   not   be    There.  317 

heavenly  garner.     There  must  he  an  "outer"  place 
where  all  that  is  worthless  will  he  cast  away;  for 
nothing  that  is  worthless,  nothing  that  defileth,  can 
enter  heaven.     O,  how  can  those  who   now  shrink 
from  the  society  of  the  vicious,  the  coarse,  the  rude, 
the  violent,  the  abandoned,  endure  the  thought  of 
eternal  companionship  with  the  vilest  of  the  human 
race,   in    a    place   where   depravity  will    know   no 
restraints   or  bounds,   but   will    be    nourished    and 
aroused,    as     burning    fire   with     streams    of    oil! 
Think,  ye  who   prefer   the   company  of  the   intelli- 
gent, the   refined,  the  virtuous,  and  who  are   often 
shocked  at  the  bare  recital  of  the  vices  and  crimes 
of  profligates,  what  it  would  be  to  be  imprisoned 
for  ever  with  such  men  as  Cain,  and  Balaam,  and 
Pharaoh,  the  Herods,  and  Judas,  and  Pilate.      O  ! 
think  what  it  would  be  to  belong  to  the  society  of 
murderers,  and  thieves,  and  drunkards,  and  sorcerers. 
As  Love  and  Purity  form  the  very  atmosphere  of 
heaven,  so  Hatred  and  unrestrained  Wickedness  will 
reign  in  hell.    There,  will  be  congregated  not  merely 
the  outlaws  and  desperadoes  of  a  single  country,  or 
of  one  generation,  but  the  most  heartless  wretches  of 
all  times,  and  all  lands.     "  O,  most  fearful  thought ! 
who  knoweth  but  it  may  be   true  ?  that  spirits  of 
wickedness   and   enmity  may  execute   each   other's 
punishment,  as  those  of  righteousness  and  love  min- 
ister each  other's  happiness !  that,  damned   among 


S18  My  FATHER'S  Hocse. 

tlie  damned, — the  spirit  of  a  Nero  may  still  delight 
in  torturing;  and  that  those  who,  in  this  world,  were 
mutual  workers  of  iniquity,  may  find  themselves,  in 
the  next,  sworn  retributors  of  wrath  ?"* 


*  Tuppcr. 


Nothing    that    Depileth.  319 


XVIII. 

NOTHING  THAT  DEFILETfl. 

THE  purity  of  heaven  depends  as  much  upon  the 
exclusion  of  impure  elements  from  its  society 
as  upon  the  admission  of  those  that  are  washed,  that 
are  sanctified,  are  justified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God.  The  compa- 
nionship of  the  blessed  requires  both  purity  and  con- 
geniality. It  is  a  well  understood  principle,  as 
affecting  earthly  society,  that  there  must  be  simi- 
larity of  character  and  feelings  among  those  who 
compose  it  in  order  to  sympathy  and  fellowship ; 
and  there  must  be  truth  and  moral  excellence  in 
order  to  anything  like  real  happiness.  We  have 
only  to  apply  so  plain  a  principle  to  the  heavenly 
society,  to  understand  that  large  classes  of  men 
who  have  neglected  to  cultivate  the  Christian 
virtues  and  graces,  but  who  have  cherished  the 
evil  propensities  and  corrupt  passions  of  their 
nature,  can  find  nothing  congenial  in  our  Father's 
House,  in  its  society,  employments,  and  joys,  and 
therefore   can  never  be    admitted    there.     But   we 


320  My    FATHER'S    House. 

need  not  doubt  upon  this  subject,  for  the  Bible 
is  explicit  in  teaching  respecting  certain  classes 
of  men,  which  it  distinctly  names,  that  they  can- 
not enter  the  kingdom  of  God.     Among  these  are 

Idolaters.  The  Bible  gives  us  no  ground  to  hope 
that  the  adorers  of  idol  gods  can  go  to  heaven.  On 
the  contrary,  it  expressly  and  repeatedly  declares 
that  idolaters  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of 
God.*  In  the  first  and  second  chapters  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans,  the  apostle  Paul  has  taught 
us  on  what  grounds  the  heathen  are  condemned, 
and  by  what  rule  they  will  be  judged  at  the  last 
day.  He  shows  that  all,  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews, 
are  under  condemnation ;  that  the  Divine  displea- 
sure is  directed  towards  them,  and  that  no  sinner 
can  be  justified  by  the  righteousness  of  works,  and 
that  all,  at  the  last  day,  must  give  account  unto 
God.  "  The  wrath  of  God  is  revealed  from  heaven 
against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men 
who  hold  the  truth  in  unrighteousness,  because  that 
which  may  be  known  of  God  is  manifest  in  them, 
for  God  hath  showed  it  unto  them.  For  the  invisi- 
ble things  of  Him  from  the  creation  of  the  world  are 
clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  that  arc 
made,  even  His  eternal  nower  and  Godhead,  so  that 
they  are  without  excuse."  "Professing  themselves 
to    be   wise,"   he    says,    "  they   became    fools,    and 

*  Gal.  v.  20  ;  Epli.  v.  5  ;  1  Cor.  vi.  9  ;  Rev.  xxli.  15. 


Nothing   that    Defileth.  321 

changed   the  glory  of   the   incorruptible   God  into 
an   image,    made   like   to    corruptible   man,   and    to 
birds,  and  fonrfootecl  beasts,  and   creeping  things." 
This  was   their  great  sin,  the   fruitful  seed  of  the 
horrid  iniquity  which  lie  proceeds    to   lay  to  their 
charge.     On   account  of  it  God  gave  them   up   to 
work    this    iniquity.      They    knew    God,    but    they 
glorified  Hem.  not  as  God.    He  had  revealed  Him- 
self  to   them   in    the   constitution  of  their  nature, 
and  in  the  works  of  His  hands ;  hence  their  igno- 
rance  was   not   an   excusable   ignorance,  and   their 
idolatry   was    the    fruit    of    depravity.     Both   were 
without   excuse.     At   the    same    time,    this   Apostle 
shows   that   at   the  judgment  day,  there  will   be  a 
broad    distinction    preserved    between    those    who 
have  sinned  with   the  written   law  in  their  posses- 
sion,   and    those    who    never    received   the    law   of 
Mount  Sinai.     It  will  be  more  tolerable  for  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah,  for  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  than  for 
those   who   perish   under   the   light   of  the   Gospel. 
They  will  not  he  judged  by  the  written  word  of 
God,  which   they   never   received.     They  will    not 
be  condemned  for  rejecting  Christ,  of  whom  they 
never  heard.     Still,  the  Apostle  has  clearly  taught 
and  proved,  that  in  the  works  of  creation,  and  in 
the   heart   of  man,  God   has   given   sufficient   light 
to  render   idolatry  and   its   attendant  abominations 
inexcusable.     "As  many   as   have    sinned  without 


322  My  FATHER'S  House. 

law  shall  also  perish  without  law ;  and  as  many 
as  hare  sinned  in  the  law,  shall  be  judged  by  the 
law ;  *  *  (when  the  Gentiles  which  have  not 
the  law,  do  by  nature  the  things  contained  in  the 
law,  these  having  not  the  law  are  a  law  unto 
themselves,  which  show  the  work  of  the  law  writ- 
ten in  their  hearts,  their  conscience  also  bearing 
witness,  and  their  thoughts,  the  meanwhile,  accus- 
ing, or  else  excusing  one  another ;)  in  the  day 
when  God  shall  judge  the  secrets  of  men  by  Jesus 
Christ  according  to  the  Gospel."-  Here  it  is  made 
evident  that  the  Gentiles  have  a  law  by  which 
they  are  condemned ;  and  they  prove  that  they 
have  this  law  whenever  they  perform  any  moral 
acts,  which  the  revealed  law  requires ;  that  a  rule 
of  duty  has  been  engraven  on  their  hearts.  The 
existence  of  this  law  is  also  proved  by  the  opera- 
tions of  their  conscience ;  their  moral  sense  unites 
with  their  moral  acts,  and  the  correct  moral  pre- 
cepts of  some  of  their  sages  to  prove  that  they 
are  a  law  nnto  themselves.  This  is  the  law,  or 
rule  of  duty,  according  to  which  they  shall  be 
judged  in  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ. 

As  to  the  question  whether  some  of  the  heathen 
who  have  attained  adult  age  will  not  be  found  in 
heaven,  all  that  we  can  say  is,  that  if  it  could  be 
proved  that  any  of  them  obeyed  perfectly  the  law 

*  Rom.  ii.  12-16. 


Nothing    that    Defilbth.  323 

written  in  their  hearts,  and  followed  the  light  which 
God's  works  reflect,  or  the  vestiges  of  that  revealed 
law  which  may  be  detected  among  the  nations  and 
tribes  of  the  earth,  it  is  charitable  to  hope,  that 
through  the  mediation  of  Christ,  and  the  renewing 
grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  in  the  case  of  dying 
infants,  they  too  reached  heaven.  But  conformity 
to  the  rule  of  duty  in  question  necessarily  implies 
the  renunciation  of  idolatry.  How  could  such  men 
as  Socrates  and  Plato  have  been  idolaters  without 
violating  this  rule  ;  and,  if  they  violated  it,  they 
could  not  be  saved  by  it  ?  There  was  no  evidence, 
in  the  Apostle's  day,  that  any  of  the  heathen  had 
ever  obeyed  the  law  written  on  their  hearts,  or 
strictly  followed  the  light  of  nature,  as  it  is  called  ; 
rather  was  there  evidence  that  all  the  world  were 
guilty  before  God,  and  not  a  single  man  could  be 
justified,  by  the  deeds  of  any  law.*  Cornelius,  the 
Roman  centurion,  to  whom  the  apostle  Peter  was 
sent,  was  a  "  devout  man,  and  one  that  feared  God, 
with  all  his  house,  wdiich  gave  much  alms  to  the 
people,  and  prayed  to  God  alwTays."f  He  was  no 
idolator ;  he  had  sufficient  light  to  teach  him  its 
folly,  to  show  him  that  God  is  a  spirit,  and  is  to  be 
worshipped  and  revered  as  such.  He  feared  God,  and 
was  eminently  devout  and  benevolent  The  prepa- 
tion  of  his  heart,  and  the  measure  of  faith  which  he 

•  Rom.  ill.  19-20.  f  Acts  x.  2. 


324  My    FATHER'S    House. 

possessed  were  the  fruits  of  God's  Spirit,  and  given 
to  him  through  the  atoning  work  of  Christ.  It 
constrained  Peter  to  confess  "  that  God  is  no  r< 
ter  of  persons ;  but  in  every  nation  he  that  feareth 
Bjm,  and  worketh  righteousness,  is  accepted  with 
Him."  [f  it  was  true,  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles, 
that  all  men  were  under  sin,  both  Jews  and  Gentiles, 
so  that  no  flesh  could  be  justified  by  the  deeds  of 
the  law,  we  may  rest  assured  that  the  same  is  still 
true ;  heathenism  is  no  better  than  it  was  eighteen 
centuries  ago  ;  and  we  may  rest  assured  that  all  who 
are  saved  out  of  Pagan  darkness,  must  be  saved  as 
Cornelius  was,  through  the  atoning  work  of  Christ, 
and  the  gracious  operation  of  His  Spirit.  Christ 
will  be  the  theme  of  all  praises,  the  centre  of  all 
attraction,  and  His  righteousness  the  only  ground  of 
justification,  of  the  glorified  company  assembled 
around  His  throne. 

Covetous  MeiJ  will  fail  of  heaven.  Covetousness, 
in  the  Word  of  God,  is  defined  as  a  species  of 
idolatry.  It  is  an  immoderate,  sinful  desire  for  the 
tilings  of  this  world.  Men,  who  are  under  its  influ- 
ence, cannot  obey  the  very  first  commandment  of  the 
moral  law ;  for  they  place  that  delight  and  confi- 
dence in  riches,  which  are  due  to  God  alone.  They 
arc  worshippers  of  gold,  instead  of  God — of  the 
creature,  instead  of  the  Creator.  It  is  this  gold- 
worship,  though  it  be  not  graven  by  them  "  into  an 


Nothing    that    DefiletI.  32o 

image  made  like  to  corruptible  man,  and  to  birds, 
and  four-footed  beasts,  and  creeping  tilings "  which 
makes  them  idolaters.  Their  possessions  or  those 
which  they  are  striving  to  gain,  have  stolen  their 
affections  from  the  great  Giver  of  them,  have 
betrayed  them  into  manifold  sins,  have  poisoned 
their  very  souls.  Their  inordinate  passion  for  riches 
is  wholly  inconsistent  with  love  and  submission  to 
God.  It  was  this  passion  which  stood  in  the  way  of 
the  salvation  of  the  moral  and  amiable  young  ruler, 
who  came  to  Christ.  As  he  went  away  sorrowing 
when  told  to  go  and  sell  all  that  he  had,  and  give  to 
the  poor,  our  Lord  exclaimed,  "  How  hard  is  it  for 
them  that  trust  in  riches  to  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  God  !"*  Covetousness,  is  indeed,  one  of  the  worst 
forms  of  idolatry,  and  one  of  the  most  difficult  to  be 
eradicated.  Money  is  one  of  the  mightiest  of  all 
idol-gods,  swaying  a  more  powerful  sceptre  than 
Vishnu,  Juggernaut,  or  the  Grand  Lama.  It  would 
make  morality  herself  employ  "no  standard  but 
that  of  utility,  and  enforce  her  requirements  by  no 
plea  but  expediency,  a  consideration  of  profit  and 
loss."  Mammon  is  holding  his  court  in  our  cities, 
and  the  chief  places  of  concourse ;  and  everywhere 
appears,  with  a  numerous  retinue.  Men  are 
tempted  to  support  themselves,  by  temporary  expe- 
dients, concealing  their  real  poverty,   by   extrava- 

*  Mark  x.  24. 


326  My   FATHER'S    House. 

gance  and  display,  and  the  consequent  robbery  of 
their  fellow-inen.  Magnificent  houses,  grand  equi- 
pages illy  comporting  with  republican,  not  to  say, 
Christian  simplicity,  appear  with  too  many  to  con- 
stitute the  chief  aim  of  life.  We  are  not  to  consider 
"a  spirit  of  worldliness  as  a  little  infirmity,  as  a 
natural,  and  therefore  pardonable  weakness  ;  as  a 
trifling  error  which  will  be  overlooked,  for  the  sake 
of  our  good  qualities.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  essence  of 
our  other  faults  ;  the  temper  that  stands  between  us 
and  our  salvation  ;  the  spirit  which  is  in  direct  oppo- 
sition to  the  Spirit  of  God."*  "  If  any  man  love  the 
world  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him." 

"Extortioners"  are  in  the  Apostle's  catalogue  of 
those  who  cannot  inherit  God's  kingdom.  They  are 
a  class  whose  covetousness  carries  them  so  far  that 
they  resort  to  unlawful,  or  even  violent,  means 
to  increase  their  gains.  Their  covetousness  is  of 
the  most  flagrant  character.  They  keep  back  the 
wages  of  the  poor,  "  the  hire  of  the  labourers  who 
have  reaped  down  their  fields  is  kept  back  by  fraud." 
They  own  no  obligations,  which  cannot  be  enforced 
by  the  pains  and  penalties  of  the  law ;  they  demand 
to  the  last  farthing  all  that  the  law  allows,  even 
when  their  claims  have  no  foundation  in  equity. 
They  take  advantage  of  the  fears,  or  the  necessities 
of  their  fellow-men,  to  exact  usury,  or  of  their  igno- 

*  H.  More. 


Nothing   that   Defiletu.  327 

ranee  and  defencelessness,  and  would  seize  the  crust 
and  the  bed  of  the  orphan,  to  increase  their  gains. 

In  the  same  catalogue,  we  find  "  Eevilers." 
This  term  is  applied  to  all  who  defame  the  charac- 
ter of  their  fellow-men,  by  applying  to  them  coarse 
and  false  epithets,  or  by  giving  currency  to  slander- 
ous charges.  Men  of  this  temper  are  not  fit  for 
the  society  of  heaven.  They  would  not  be  happy 
there ;  they  would  not  add  to  the  happiness  of 
the  place.  "Lord,  who  shall  abide  in  thy  taber- 
nacle ?  who  shall  dwell  in  thy  holy  hill  ?  He  that 
walketh  uprightly,  and  worketh  righteousness,  and 
speaketh  truth  in  his  heart.  He  that  back-biteth  not 
with  his  tongue,  nor  doeth  evil  to  his  neighbour, 
nor  taketh  up  a  reproach  against  his  neighbour."* 

The  impure  cannot  enter  heaven.  "  Be  not 
deceived ;  neither  fornicators,  nor  adulterers,  nor 
effeminate,  nor  abusers  of  themselves  with  mankind 
shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God."  "Whoremongers 
are  classed  with  dogs  and  sorcerers,  as  shut  without 
the  gates  of  the  city : 

"Pure  is  the  bliss  above  the  sky, 
And  all  the  region  peace  ; 
No  wanton  lips  or  envious  eye 
Shall  see  or  taste  the  bliss." 

There  are  no  liars  there.     It  is  again  and  again 

*  Ps.  XV. 


328  Mr  FATHER'S  House. 

declared  that  there  are  no  liars  or  deceivers  in 
Leaven.  Deceit  is  peculiarly  displeasing  to  God. 
It  is  the  essence  of  hypocrisy  towards  Ilnr,  and 
of  dishonesty  towards  man.  Id  the  inspired  descrip- 
tion of  the  wicked  heart,  its  deceitfulness  is  made 
to  hold  a  conspicuous  place.  "  And  there  shall 
in  no  vise  enter  into  it  anything  that  defileth, 
neither  whatsoever  worketh  abomination,  ci*Lmaketh 
a  lie."  "  Whosoever  loveth  and  maketh  a  lie " 
is  enumerated  with  those  who  are  without  the  gates 
of  the  !New  Jerusalem.  Men  may  afiect  to  think 
that  lying  is  a  small  sin,  and  when  they  indulge 
in  it  may  say  they  are  in  sport,  but  it  is  so  offen- 
sive to  God  that  He  will  banish  for  ever  from  His 
presence  all  those  in  whom  this  sin  is  unrcpented 
of,  and  unforgiven. 

Swkaeeks,  who  profanely  use  the  name  of  the 
Deity,  and  curse  men  who  are  made  after  the  simili- 
tude of  God,  will  not  be  held  guiltless.  Profane- 
ness  makes  the  mouths  of  men  like  evil  fountains, 
which  cannot,  at  the  same  time,  send  forth  sweet 
and  healthful  waters.  If,  for  every  idle  word  that 
men  speak,  they  must  give  account,  in  the  day  of 
judgment,  what  shall  we  say  of  an  irreverent  use  of 
any  of  the  titles  of  "  the  blest  Supreme,' '  or  of  words 
of  bitterness  and  cursing?  How  can  men  who  have 
learned  only  to  blaspheme  God  in  this  world,  be  pre- 
pared to  praise  Him  in  the  next?     Would  not  the 


Nothing    that    Defileth,  329 

praises  of  heaven  sound  strangely  in  their  ears  ?   and 
more  strangely  from  their  tongues  ? 

There  will  be  no  "  Sorcerers  "  there.  These  are 
persons  with  whom  deception  or  imposition  is  an  art 
and  study.  They  profess  to  be  able  to  reveal  secrets 
and  to  make  men  acquainted  with  events  that  are  to 
come.  They  profess  to  have  communion  with  the 
spiritual  world,  and  to  have  the  power  of  putting 
others,  as  the  sorceress  of  Endor  professed  to  put 
Saul,  into  communication  with  the  spirits  of  that 
world.  Sorcery  and  necromancy  were  among  the 
sins  which  provoked  the  Lord  to  drive  out  the  hea- 
then nations  from  the  Holy  Land.  He  warned  His 
people  not  to  do  after  the  abominations  of  those 
nations  :  "  There  shall  not  be  found  among  you  any 
one  that  maketh  his  son  or  his  daughter  to  pass 
through  the  fire,  or  that  useth  divination,  or  an 
observer  of  times,  or  an  enchanter,  or  a  witch,  or  a 
charmer,  or  a  consulter  with  familiar  spirits,  or  a 
wizard,  or  a  necromancer.  For  all  that  do  these 
things  are  an  abomination  unto  the  Lord ;  and 
because  of  these  abominations,  the  Lord  thy  God  doth 
drive  them  out  from  before  thee."*  Such  arts  and 
practices  are  no  less  abominations  to  the  Lord  now, 
than  when  his  ancient  people  were  so  solemnly 
warned  against  them.  The  warning  is,  therefore, 
still  in  force,  and  the  attempts  to  revive  necromancy 

*  Deut.  xviii.  10-12. 


330  My  FATHER'S  House. 

call  for  its  repetition  in  the  ears  of  men.  "With  the 
unfruitful  works  of  darkness  we  are  to  have  no  fel- 
lowship, but  rather  reprove  them.  When  a  man 
already  has  so  much  confidence  in  the  marvellous 
statements  of  those  who  profess  to  reveal  secrets,  or 
to  bring  tidings  from  another  world — but  who 
entirely  fail  to  give  such  evidence  as  the  Prophets 
and  Apostles  gave  of  their  divine  mission — as  to  con- 
sent to  investigate  these  marvels,  he  is  already  on 
dangerous  ground.  He  is  a  fit  subject  for  decep- 
tion ;  his  mind  is  just  in  that  state  to  imbibe  the 
fatal  virus  of  delusion,  as  has  been  proved  in  too 
many  sad  cases  of  men  not  deficient  in  intellect 
or  education.  We  are  fearfully  made ;  the  mind, 
by  some  disturbing  cause,  may  be  thrown  into  an 
abnormal  state  ;  by  the  diseased  action  of  the  ima- 
gination a  man  may  be  brought  to  regard  the  subjec- 
tive states  of  his  mind  as  objective  realities.  It  may 
well  be  doubted  whether  investigation  or  familiarity 
with  these  things,  for  the  sake  of  exposure,  is  allowa- 
ble ;  it  may  result  like  familiarity  with  vice,  for 
the  sake  of  rescuing  its  victims  or  exposing  its  defor- 
mity, in  a  fatal  contamination  of  him  who  makes  the 
hazardous  trial.  The  better  way  is  to  avoid  them 
altogether,  to  pass  by  on  the  other  side ;  to  admit 
no  experiments  in  our  houses  which,  by  association 
even,  can  invade  the  sanctity  of  the  invisible  world  ; 
to  protect  and  warn  our  children  against  them.    God, 


Nothing    that    Defileth.  331 

■who  made  the  mind,  knows  its  perils,  and,  there- 
fore, He  would  not  allow  a  sorcerer,  a  necroman- 
cer, or  a  consul ter  with  familiar  spirits,  to  remain  in 
the  land  which  he  gave  His  people.  They  were  the 
unfruitful  workers  and  agents  of  heathenism.  Their 
influence  would  be  evil,  and  only  evil.  They  were, 
and  are,  to  whatever  extent  they  gain  credence,  the 
natural  foes  of  revealed  religion.  If  Eevelation,  in 
its  early  dimness,  frowned  upon  them,  Revelation, 
in  its  fulness,  denounces  them.  If  they  were  too 
corrupting  to  he  permitted  to  remain  in  the  Canaan 
below,  we  may  rest  assured  that  they  will  not  be 
admitted  to  the  Canaan  above. 

]STor  Drunkards  shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Drunkenness  is  not  a  trivial  offence ;  God  is  sorely 
displeased  with  those  who  are  guilty  of  it.  It  is  a 
complication  of  wrongs,  to  him  who  is  guilty  of  it — 
to  his  family  and  friends — to  society  at  large ;  it  is 
a  sin  against  God.  Men  may  make  light  of  it ;  they 
may  affect  to  think  it  a  small  matter  to  indulge  in 
an  occasional  debauch,  or  may  profess  to  take  the 
intoxicating  cup  only  as  a  pledge  of  friendship ;  but 
will  God  make  him,  who  has  disregarded  both  phy- 
sical and  moral  laws  merely  to  gratify  a  low  appetite, 
a  companion  of  angels  and  the  spirits  of  the  just? 
Can  so  sensual  a  being  be  fit  for  the  pure  and  spirit- 
ual pleasures  of  heaven?  Could  they  be  pleasures 
to  him  ?     No,  no ;  drunkenness  is  a  great  sin :  it  is 


332  My  FATHER'S    House. 

a  fearful  crime,  at  which  God  is  angry,  and  which. 
He  will  punish  unless  it  is  forsaken  and  pardoned. 
It  is  classed  with  extortion,  covetousness,  reviling, 
stealing,  idolatry,  and  adultery.  Is  there  any  reason 
why  the  gates  of  heaven  are  not  open  to  the  idolater, 
the  thief,  the  adulterer  ?  For  the  same  reason  no 
drunkard  enters  there.  "And  there  shall  in  no 
wise  enter  into  it  anything  that  defileth."  Drunk- 
enness inflames  all  the  corrupt  passions ;  it  aggra- 
vates all  the  moral  diseases  of  the  soul ;  it  opens  new 
avenues  for  temptations  to  assail  it,  and  endues  them 
with  ten-fold  energy.  It  hardens  the  heart,  stupefies 
the  conscience,  and  prevents  men  from  Leing  bene- 
fited by  the  means  of  grace.  It  unfits  men  for  the 
sanctuary,  and  makes  the  Bible,  the  Sabbath,  and  all 
religious  services  irksome.  It  shortens  human  proba- 
tion.    Aye,  the  drunkard 

"  Offers  up 
His  soul,  and  an  eternity  of  bliss. 
To  gain  him — what  ?  an  hour  of  dreaming  joy; 
A  feverish  hour  that  hastens  to  be  done, 
And  leaves  him  in  the  bitterness  of  vroe."* 

But  why  have  I  enumerated  so  many  individuals, 
and  so  many  classes  of  men,  who  will  be  excluded 
from  the  heavenly  kingdom  ?  Because  I  have  wished 
to  show  the  purity  of  the  heavenly  society,  and  that 
the  Bible   makes   the  future   condition   of   men   to 

*  Pollok. 


Nothing    that    Defilkth.  333 

depend  upon  the  dispositions  they  now  cultivate, 
upon  present  character,  or  the  character  with  which 
they  leave  the  world.  Those  who,  up  to  the  last 
moment  of  conscious  existence  in  this  life,  have  no 
penitence  and  hatred  for  sin,  and  no  love  for  moral 
purity,  but,  on  the  contrary,  cherish  grovelling  affec- 
tion-, impure  desires,  unholy  and  malignant  passions, 
are  not  prepared  for  the  pure  regions  of  eternal  bliss. 
They  would  not  feel  at  home  there ;  they  would  have 
no  congeniality  with  the  society ;  they  would  defile 
the  place.  As  the  tree  falleth  so  it  must  lie.  As 
death  leaves  men,  so  the  judgment  will  find  them. 
It  will  be  said,  "  He  that  is  unjust,  let  him  be  unjust 
still ;  and  he  which  is  filthy,  let  him  be  filthy  still ; 
and  he  that  is  righteous,  let  him  be  righteous  still ; 
and  he  that  is  holy,  let  him  be  holy  still.""  Our 
existence,  once  begun,  knows  no  interruption.  Noth- 
ing can  ever  break  its  continuity.  The  body  may 
sleep,  the  mind  may  have  its  aberrations,  but  mind 
never  slumbers.  Not  even  death  produces  any 
chasm  in  the  flow  of  our  being.  Our  future  life  will 
be  the  perpetuation  of  our  present  conscious  exist- 
ence, in  a  state  of  retribution  and  unchanging  destiny. 
The  spirit* will  be  conscious  of  an  uninterrupted  exist- 
ence, running  back  to  the  first  moments  of  rational 
life,  looking  on  death  as  but  one  of  its  great  transitions. 
In  its  review  from  the  eternal  world,  it  will  look  back 

*  Rev.  xxii.  11. 


334  My    FATHER'S    H0U8B. 

on  one  unbroken  stream  of  being  to  the  point  at 
which  it  took  its  rise.  The  same  mind  that  res 
now,  will  be  conscious  that  it  reasons  then.  The 
same  memory  will  unfold  its  images,  and  re-produce 
perceptions  that  are  past.  "Were  it  possible  to  divorce 
our  existence  hereafter  from  the  present,  or  to  dis- 
solve the  connexion  between  them,  by  a  temporary 
suspension  of  mental  activity,  our  future  life  would, 
in  some  sense,  be  a  new  and  distinct  being,  from 
what  it  now  is.  But  no,  there  can  be  no  such 
divorce  of  the  life  that  now  is,  from  that  which  is  to 
come.  Those  who  die  in  their  sins  will  enter  the 
eternal  state,  with  the  same  depraved  characters, 
which  they  have  spent  their  lives  in  forming,  and 
strengthening.  Death  will  exert  no  transforming,  or 
regenerating  influence  on  the  moral  nature  of  man ; 
only  conscience,  which  may  have  long  slumbered, 
will  be  aroused  from  its  lethargy,  and  an  undying 
memory,  with  faithful  accuracy,  will  begin  to  per- 
form its  office.  And,  perhaps,  the  mind  will  be 
endued  with  a  prospective  (not  now  possessed)  as 
well  as  retrospective  energy,  as  it  takes  up  the  sad 
soliloquy.  "  How  have  I  hated  instruction,  and  my 
heart  despised  reproof,  and  have  not  obeyed  the 
voice  of  my  teachers,  nor  inclined  mine  ear  to  them 
that  instructed  me !  I  was  almost  in  all  evil  in  the 
midst  of  the  congregation  and  assembly." 

This  awful   transition  in  our  existence,  far  from 


Nothing    that    Defileth.  33o 

impairing,  will  improve  our  judgment  or  faculty  of 
reason.  It  will  dissolve  all  the  mysteries  which  now, 
either  as  matters  of  faith  or  of  speculation,  hang 
around  the  state  of  immortality,  and  chase  away  all 
those  lingering;  doubts  which  unbelieving  minds  are 
so  prone  to  cherish,  and  which  often  exert  no  little 
influence,  even  over  minds  in  which  truth  maintains 
its  hold.  Death  will  instantly  demonstrate  some  doc- 
trines which  men  have  spent  their  lives  in  doubting, 
or  attempting  to  undermine.  It  will  demonstrate 
that  God  is  just  as  well  as  merciful,  that  justice  is  an 
essential  element  in  His  mercy — that  He  will  judge 
every  man  according  to  his  works — that  heaven  will 
be  open  only  to  the  pure  —  that  he  that  is  found 
unjust,  will  be  unjust  still,  and  he  that  is  filthy,  will 
be  filthy  still.  Reason  will  be  so  defecated,  so  disen- 
cumbered of  all  that  now  embarrasses  its  proper 
exercise,  of  all  that  now  perverts  its  operations  and 
conclusions,  that  it  will  then  see  the  great  truths  of 
God's  word,  those  truths  which  even  now,  in  spite 
of  carnal  sloth  and.  worldly  enchantments,  some- 
times powerfully  thrill  the  soul,  written,  as  it 
were,  in  every  letter,  with  light  brought  to  the 
intensest  focus,  from  the  dazzling  radiance  of  God's 
throne.  Remember,  ye  probationers,  that  those 
truths  which  your  reason  now  approves,  it  will  no 
less  approve,  when  you  have  ceased  to  be  proba- 
tioners, and  stand  in  the  searching  light  of  eternity. 


336  My  FATHER'S    House. 

If  your  hearts  condemn  you  now,  will  they  not  con- 
demn 3*011  then  ? 

]STor  can  that  faculty  of  the  mind,  which  is  denom- 
inated memory,  ever  be  destroyed.  It  is  as  death- 
less as  that  mind  of  which  it  is  one  of  the  original 
principles.  And  if  the  knowledge  of  things  past 
is  inexplicable  on  any  other  ground,  than  that  it 
is  the  will  of  our  Maker,"  that  we  should,  have  this 
knowledge,  it  is  easy  to  perceive  that  in  the  coming 
world,  He  can  endue  the  memory  with  such  power, 
that  it  shall  distinctly  recall  every  item  and  minute 
circumstance  of  life.  The  complete  record  of  life, 
not  the  scroll  which  contains  the  history  of  a  single 
year  only,  will  be  spread  out  for  review,  and  its  most 
minute  occurrences  and  affairs  be  distinctly  revived. 
The  mind  can  never  resign  itself  to  an  oblivion  of 
the  past.  It  might  as  well  attempt  to  annihilate 
itself.  Conscience,  moreover,  will  not  part  with  any 
of  its  power,  hy  the  change  which  takes  place,  when 
we  die.  It  will  rather  be  aroused  as  out  of  a 
former  sleep.  With  a  voice  which  must  be  heard, 
it  will  pronounce  that  soul-harrowing  word,  "  Re- 
member !"  that  fearful  word  which  will  never,  never 

*  "The  knowledge,"  says  the  great  Scotch  metaphysician,  Dr. 
Reid,  "  which  I  have  of  things  past  by  my  memory,  seems  to  me  as 
unaccountable,  as  au  immediate  knowledge  would  be  of  things  to 
come  ;  and  I  can  give  no  reason  why  I  should  have  the  one  and  not 
the  other,  but  that  such  is  the  will  of  my  Maker.'' 


Nothing    that    Defileth.  337 

cease  to  renew  its  echoes.  "Son,  remember  that 
crime  which  you  committed,  and  thought  no 
saw,  no  pen  recorded — that  sin  which  stained 
your  soul  so  darkly,  that  many  waters  could  not 
cleanse.  Remember  your  Sabbaths,  and  the  ser- 
mons to  which  you  listened.  Remember  the 
warning  uttered,  with  labouring  breath,  by  clay- 
cold  lips.  Remember  all  those  means  of  grace, 
those  frequent  calls  of  the  still,  small  voice,  neglected 
and  despised.  Remember,  REMEMBER!"  Ah! 
who  can  tell  the  full  meaning  of  remorse,  remorse 
of  conscience  ?  If  when  brought  only  to  the  verge 
of  despair  men  lament,  as  they  have  sometimes 
been  heard  to  do  in  this  world,  what  will  be  their 
lamentations,  when  sinking  in  its  fathomless  abyss. 

The  depraved  and  irreclaimably  wicked,  let  it  be 
observed,  are  excluded  from  heaven,  not  to  spend 
eternity  in  isolated  and  solitary  existence ;  but  to 
dwell  together,  where  those  who  have  been  mutual 
workers  of  iniquity  may  become  sworn  retributors 
of  wrath,  and  executioners  of  each  other's  punish- 
ment. ]STo  being,  there,  will  love,  or  be  beloved  by 
another.  There,  will  be  no  joyful  greetings  between 
those  who  were  friends  -on  earth.  Hatred  will  fill 
the  place ;  malice  will  burn  and  rage ;  malignant 
passions  fostered  through  life,  and  in  full  play  at  the 
very  moment  of  death,  will  know  no  counteracting 
or  restraining  influence.     In  these  passions,  the  soul 

15 


338  My    FATHER'S   House. 

will  cany  into  eternity  the  \vn  elements  of  its 
unspeakable  torment.  Men  now  have  some  feeble 
experience  of  the  misery  which  may  be  produced 
by  unbridled  passions.  What  must  it  be  in  a 
state  where  nothing  will  restrain,  but  everything 
conspire  to  excite,  the  tormenting  passions  of  the 
heart.  Suppose  that  in  addition  to  those  of  malice 
and  revenge,  by  which  men  become  mutual  tor- 
mentors, there  be  superadded,  Feae,  Shame,  and 
Despair,  operating  without  intermission,  and  in  the 
same  manner,  but  with  a  seven-fold  degree,  as  in 
this  life,  so  that  each  man,  if  alone,  would  be  his 
own  place  of  torment ;  suppose  that  such  men  as 
Cain,  and  Pharaoh,  and  Ahab,  as  Pilate,  and  Judas, 
as  murderers  and  robbers,  and  all,  who  like  them 
have  lived  and  died  enemies  of  God,  are  brought 
together  under  the  full  power  of  such  passions  as  I 
have  described ;  and  suppose  that  another  class  of 
beings,  the  determined  enemies  of  men  and  of  God, 
fallen  angels,  are  joined  to  the  same  society — beings 
who,  instead  of  yielding  willing  obedience  to  the 
King  of  kings,  bend  all  the  energies  of  their  minds 
to  diffuse  hatred  and  rebellion  among  His  creatures, 
who  delight  to  destroy  and  to  torment, — and  we  shall 
discover,  even  were  it  to  be  admitted  that  future 
punishment  consists  entirely  in  mental  suffering,  and 
that  all  that  is  said  in  the  Scriptures  about  material 
fire  is  figurative,  that  there  are  still  "  terrors  of  the 


Nothing    that    Defileth.  339 

Lord  "  from  which  we  should  flee  as  for  our  lives. 
Judge,  it  will  be  feebly  indeed,  but  judge  of  what 
may  be,  from  wbat  is,  or  what  hath  been.  Look 
into  your  own  nature,  your  own  intellectual  and 
moral  constitution ;  see  in  every  emotion  and 
faculty  a  warning ;  and  in  every  guilty  passion, 
discern  the  avenger. 


340  My   FATHER'S   House 


XIX. 

THE    GUIDE. 

"  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  are  able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salvation." 

THERE  is  a  path  to  heaven,  through  this  sinful 
■world  ;  but,  with  his  own  unassisted  faculties, 
man  cannot  find  it.  The  darkness  is  too  intense,  the 
mazes  too  intricate,  the  paths  which  diverge  too 
many,  the  proclivity  to  wTandering  in  man  too  strong, 
and  the  only  true  path  too  narrow,  to  be  found  by 
accident,  or  by  ingenuity  even,  or  to  be  known  and 
kept  if  once  found.  This  has  been  proved,  by  the 
experience  of  men,  for  thousands  of  years.  But  has 
He,  who  made  the  world,  and  put  man  into  it,  left 
him  to  wander  on  in  despair  ?  ISTo  ;  He  has  provided 
a  lamp  for  his  feet  and  a  light  to  his  path. 

That  man  has  a  Maker,  to  whom  he  is  accounta- 
ble,— that  the  world  is  under  the  frown  of  its  Crea- 
tor and  Governor, — that  man  is  a  sinner, — that  he 
has  many  sorrows, — that  his  stay  on  the  earth  is  very 
short, — are  truths  which  wc  need  no  revelation  from 


The    Guide.  341 

heaven  to  assert.  We  see  our  fellows  dying  all 
around  us ;  while  one  generation  is  coming,  another 
is  passing  away  ;  we  have  knowledge  of  those  who 
have  gone  before  us,  only  from  their  works,  their  his- 
tories, and  their  monuments.  But,  brief  as  is  man's 
stay  upon  the  earth,  we  see  that  it  is  full  of  care,  and 
that  he  often  moistens  his  path  with  his  tears.  That 
he  is  a  sinner  we  know,  because  he  is  a  sufferer; 
which  he  could  not  be  under  the  government  of  a 
righteous  God,  if  he  were  not  a  sinner.  Nay,  every 
man  has  a  witness  whose  testimony  he  cannot 
impeach,  for  the  witness  is  within  himself, — it  is  his 
own  conscience,  testifying  that  he  is  a  sinner,  often 
clothing  the  night  and  the  tempest  with  terror,  and 
arming  the  elements,  as  the  ministers  of  justice 
against  his  iniquity.  And  the  very  frame-work  of 
nature  bears  the  visible  mark  of  the  curse  of  its 
Maker. 

And  we  need  no  written  revelation  to  teach  us 
that  God  is  great.  He  who  formed  the  human  body, 
and  created  the  human  mind,  and  spake  into  exist- 
ence, and  upholds  and  governs  this  mighty  universe, 
in  all  its  complicated  parts,  must  be  a  Being  of  infi- 
nite majesty.  Nor  do  we  need  it  to  assure  us  that 
He  is  good.  "We  see  too  many  benevolent  arrange- 
ments in  His  works  to  doubt  it ;  and  we  see  none  the 
design  of  which  is  to  promote  the  misery  of  His  crea- 
tures.    But  this  general  truth,  that  God  is  good,  as 


342  My    FATHER'S    House. 

well  as  great,  is  not  sufficient  for  the  clearing  up  of 
those  great  moral  problems  which  most  deeply  inter- 
est us,  and  often  lie  as  heavy  weights  upon  beings 
who  perceive  the  evidence  of  God's  displeasure 
against  them,  and  know  that  they  are  accountable. 
That  old  question,  "How  shall  man  be  just  with 
God?"  remains  unanswered.  It  still  burdens  the 
spirit  of  man.  The  "Depth"  still  answers,  to  the 
despairing  cry  of  mortals,  "  It  is  not  in  me,"  and  the 
"  Sea  "  saith,  "  It  is  not  with  me."  "  It  cannot  be 
gotten  for  gold,  neither  shall  silver  be  weighed  for 
the  price  thereof.  It  cannot  be  valued  with  the  gold 
of  Ophir,  with  the  precious  onyx  or  the  sapphire. 
The  gold  and  the  crystal  cannot  equal  it ;  and  the 
exchange  of  it  shall  not  be  for  jewels  of  fine  gold." 
If  we  summon  Nature,  and  make  inquisition  of  her, 
whether  there  is  any  remedy  for  our  woe,  whether 
God  is  a  forgiving  God,  whether  He  can,  consistently 
with  His  perfections,  pardon  those  who  have  rebelled 
against  Him — she  stands  mute  as  a  lifeless  statue,  and 
however  winning  and  beautiful  the  expression  of  her 
features,  they  are  rigid  and  immoveable,  whether  we 
entreat  in  tones  of  hope  or  despair;  and  from  her 
marble  lips  there  comes  no  utterance.  That  man  has 
lost  the  favour  of  his  Maker,  that  some  terrible  woe 
has  befallen  our  race,  is  made  evident  enough  by 
this  same  witness.  She  answers  in  awful  tones,  in 
the  voice  of  the  earthquake,  in  the  howling  of  the 


The    Guide.  343 

midnight  storm,  and  the  groans  of  the  diseased  and 
dying,  tones  to  which  the  conscience  of  every  man 
fearfully  responds,  that  the  holy  and  righteous 
Monarch  of  the  universe  has  a  controversy  with  His 
moral  and  intelligent  creatures  on  the  earth.  Or,  if 
not  satisfied  with  our  own  ineffectual  attempts  to 
extract  some  revelation  of  mercy  from  the  witness  we 
have  called,  let  us  summon  the  most  devoted  priests 
of  nature,  the  sages  of  the  ancient  world,  or  the  disci- 
ples of  modern  philosophy,  falsely  so  called,  and 
interrogate  them,  whether  they  have  learned  from 
their  adored  mistress,  that  God  will  forgive  sin  and 
save  the  transgressor.  Let  them  tell  us  whether,  to 
their  earnest  questionings  of  the  oracles  of  nature, 
any  response  has  been  returned,  that  there  is  hope  of 
deliverance  from  the  sins  and  miseries  of  the  race. 
We  ask  not  for  dreamy  speculations,  or  shadowy 
visions  of  a  golden  age.  But,  is  God  merciful  ?  Can 
He  be  gracious  towards  those  who  have  defiled  them- 
selves with  transgressions  ?  We  ask  not — we  know, 
for  the  light  of  nature  teaches,  sternly  teaches,  that 
there  is,  and  must  be,  retribution  for  sinful  men  ;  but 
oh !  does  it  teach  that  there  is  any  way  of  escape  ? 
any  pardon  for  the  guilty?  We  turn  over  their 
splendid  pages,  and  discover  many  just  sentiments, 
like  the  gems  which  are  mixed  with  the  stones  of 
the  mountains,  or  may  be  drawn  up  from  the  bottom 
of  the  sea ;  nor  can  it  be  denied  that  they  were  men 


344  My    FATHER'S    House. 

of  profound  thought;  but  we  would  part  with  all 
their  writings  for  that  one  sentence  uttered  by  the 
lips  of  heavenly  Truth, — "  God  so  loved  the  world, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life."  Or,  if  we  summon  to  our 
aid  the  most  eminent  among  modern  rejecters  of  the 
Sacred  Scriptures,  men  who  claim  to  be  enlightened 
by  science,  and  wish  to  be  known  by  way  of  distinc- 
tion f  om  Christian  believers,  as  philosophers,  the 
result  of  the  inquisition  will  be  just  as  unsatisfactory. 
"We  cannot,"  I  quote  the  words  of  one  of  the  purest, 
and  most  distinguished  of  these  men,"-  "  we  cannot 
ascribe  goodness  and  justice  to  God,  according  to  our 
ideas  of  them,  nor  argue  with  any  certainty  about 
them."  This  is  "philosophy"  opposed  to  the  Bible; 
this  is  the  fearful  doctrine  of  one  who  was  willing  to 
exchange  the  light  of  Revelation  for  that  which  he 
styled  the  light  of  nature — that  we  cannot  ascribe 
goodness  and  justice  to  our  Maker.  "  O,  my  soul, 
come  not  thou  into  their  secret ;  unto  their  assembly, 
mine  honour,  be  not  thou  united." 

Our  heavenly  Father  has  clearly  revealed  a  glori- 
ous plan  of  salvation.  There  stands  Sinai,  with  its 
awful  darkness,  burning  with  fire,  a  perpetual  monu- 
ment of  the  holiness  and  justice  of  God ;  but  there 
stands  Calvary,  the  altar  of  an  infinite  sacrifice, 
whereby  propitiation  has  been  made  for  sin,  and  the 

*  Lord  Boliuerbroko. 


The    Guide.  345 

righteous  law  of  God  fully  obeyed  and  satisfied. 
Jesus  Christ,  a  Being  of  infinite  dignity,  because 
equal  with  the  Father,  has  tasted  death  for  every  one 
that  believeth.  His  perfect  obedience  of  the  law, 
and  endurance  of  its  penalty,  on  the  Cross,  is  the 
meritorious  ground  of  our  acceptance  with  God.  He 
that  believeth  shall  be  saved.  The  word  of  God 
shines  on  the  way  to  Christ,  and  is  a  lamp  to  the 
believer's  feet,  and  a  light  to  his  path,  in  his  journey 
towards  heaven.  The  transgressor  who  sees  his  life 
to  have  been  altogether  sinful,  and  that  there  is  a 
fatal  deficiency  in  his  best  service?,  and  attempts  to 
obey  the  divine  law,  is  invited  to  cover  himself  with 
the  robe  of  Christ's  righteousness.  This  righteous- 
ness is  not  only  a  covering,  it  infuses  strength  into 
the  soul ;  it  not  only  hides  past  guilt,  it  is  the  secret 
life  of  all  true  virtue  or  holiness.  The  Gospel  having 
guided  the  sinner  to  the  Cross  of  Christ,  where  he 
exchanges  that  burden  which  was  fast  sinkine;  him 
lower  than  the  grave,  for  the  yoke  of  Christ  which  is 
easy,  and  that  burden  which  is  light,  leaves  him  not 
there ;  but  still  guides  him  on,  by  moral  precepts  and 
heavenly  counsels,  in  the  way  of  holiness  and  peace. 
It  gilds  the  darkness  of  providence,  and  shews  us  that 
its  unequal  distributions,  in  this  world,  will  all  be  com- 
pensated, in  the  life  to  come.  Through  tempestuous 
seas,  it  is  the  unfailing  compass.  In  the  chambers  of 
the  sick  and  dying,  it  whispers,  "  Be  not  afraid ;  lo,  I 
15* 


346  My    FATHER'S    House. 

am  with  thee  ;  though  thou  walkest  through  the  val- 
ley of  the  shadow  of  death,  fear  no  evil ;  my  rod  and 
my  staff  they  shall  comfort  thee."  It  even  takes 
charge  of  the  mouldering  body  in  the  grave,  and  pre- 
dicts the  sublime  destiny  of  all  that  Bleep  there  in 
Jesus.  It  says  to  the  sorrowers  in  their  darkest  night 
of  grief,  "  Weep  not ;  the  night  is  far  spent,  the  day 
is  at  hand."  No  refinement  of  mental  culture,  no 
Platonic  meditations  on  the  beautiful,  can  be  substi- 
tuted for  these  glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel.  Without 
its  hopes  and  consolations,  such  refinement  will  prove 
only  a  refinement  of  misery.  Intellectual  light  can 
never  blind  men  to  the  spiritual  woes  of  their  condi- 
tion as  sinners  against  God.  The  word  of  God  guides 
to  the  only  Saviour ;  is  the  best  directory  through 
life ;  warns  against  every  dangerous  road ;  its  pro- 
mises will  support  when  we  come  to  the  dark  valley ; 
it  will  guide  to  "  our  Father's  house."  It  is  no  cun- 
ningly devised  fable,  but  the  Word  of  the  living  God. 
Take  heed  and  neglect  it  not.  Take  heed  and  reject 
not  any  of  its  truths.  Take  heed  and  cordially 
embrace  every  jot  and  tittle  of  revealed  truth.  Lay 
aside  the  pride  of  intellect,  philosophy,  and  vain 
deceit ;  lay  aside  mere  rational  theology ;  and  sit 
down  to  its  inspired  pages  with  the  docile  spirit  of  a 
child.  "If  Christianity  were  true,  it  ought  to  be 
written  on  the  skies,"  a  skeptic  once  said,  "  that  every 
one  might  know  it."     But  it  could  be  easily  shown, 


The    Guide.  34:7 

that  if  the  truth  of  Christianity  were  made  thus 
obvious  to  the  senses,  and  no  room  were  left  for  faith, 
it  would  exert  far  less  influence  than  it  now  does,  and 
its  great  end.  would  be  defeated.  Its  great  facts  and 
principles  received  by  faith,  the  more  frequently 
they  are  realized,  produce  a  proportionably  greater 
effect  on  the  soul.  But  how  is  it  wTith  objects  of 
sense  ?  It  is  a  fact,  proved  by  every  man's  experi- 
ence, that  the  more  frequently  they  are  seen,  their 
effect  is  proportionally  diminished.  Constant  sight 
impairs  the  effect  of  objects  seen ;  constant  faith 
increases  the  effect  or  influence  of  objects  unseen.* 
Hence  it  follows,  if,  with  every  morning's  light,  it 
were  legibly  written  on  the  expanse  over  our  heads, 
that  the  Bible  is  true,  the  effect  of  the  pregnant  text, 
on  the  very  men  who  were  born  and  walked  beneath 
it,  would  become  less  with  every  revolving  day.  But 
the  more  we  dwell  on  those  revealed  truths  which 
must  be  received  by  faith,  the  more  we  feel  their 
power.  Their  influence  grows  upon  the  soul ;  and 
the  soul  grows  in  knowledge  and  spirituality  under  it. 
Skeptics  of  our  time,  are,  for  the  most  part,  found 
in  ranks  nominally  Christian.  They  march  under  a 
banner,  bearing  that  holy  symbol,  the  Cross,  and  on 
which  is  broadly  inscribed,  Immortality.  They  do 
not  hesitate  to  speak  of  Christianity  as  "a  divine 
emanation  ;"  they  are  smitten  with  its  loveliness ;  the 

*  Vid.  Philosophy  of  the  Plan  of  Salvation,  Ch.  xiv. 


348  M  v     I-'  A  'I'll  !•;  Ffc'S    IIousk. 

beauty  and  sublimity  of  many  of  its  doctrines  and 
mora|  precepts,  are  to  them,  as  "  a  very  lovely  song," 
delightful  poetry.  Others  employ  religion  as  an 
accommodating  engine,  to  unsettle  the  existing  insti- 
tutions of  society,  and  introduce  a  new  order  of 
things — a  new  era.  Others  are  enraptured  with  the 
dreams  and  visions  of  a  morbid  intellect,  which  have 
been  put  forth  as  claiming  a  divine  authority;  and 
the  weapons  of  an  old  vanquished  infidelity  are  dug 
up  and  refurbished,  to  assail  the  doctrine  of  the 
resurrection  of  the  human  body,  and  other  doctrines 
equally  fundamental  to  the  Christian  system.  Ano- 
ther class  deny  all  the  supernaturalism  of  Scripture, 
and  while  they  profess  their  reverence  for  the  writers, 
do  not  allow  them,  in  any  sense,  to  have  spoken  by 
inspiration  from  God.  They  substitute  the  phantoms 
of  their  own  imaginations  for  such  doctrines  as  the 
Trinity  and  the  Atonement.  They  find  in  the  former 
doctrine  nothing  but  a  threefold  revelation  of  God, 
and  give  us,  for  the  living,  ever-blessed  Trinity, 
"nothing  but  a  lifeless  God,  a  world,  and  humanity;" 
and  under  the  name  of  the  latter  doctrine,  we  are 
bidden  to  behold  "  a  splendid  work  of  art."  It  is  the 
pride  of  learning  and  of  human  reason,  a  desire  to 
reconcile  revealed  doctrines  with  the  supposed  prin- 
ciples of  mental  truth,  or  mere  poetic  or  philosophical 
fancies,  which  tend  so  much  to  unsettle  the  faith  of 
thousands.     No  discoveries  will  ever  be  made  in  the 


The    Guide,  349 

field  which  belongs  to  Kevelation,  when  men  leave 
the  plain  letter  of  the  Scriptures,  to  follow  their  own 
reasonings  or  imaginings.  Let  ns  keep  within  the 
limits  of  the  known.  Let  ns  not  launch  out  on  our 
feeble  pinions  over  the  vast  profound ;  for  should  we 
ever  return,  it  will  be  with  nothing  to  reward  our 
adventurous  flight.  Let  our  rule  be  not,  "What 
thinkest  thou  ?  but,  How  readest  thou  ?  We  may  not 
be  able,  in  all  cases,  to  answer  the  question,  '  How 
can  these  things  be?'  but,  having  submitted  to  the 
Scriptures  as  the  oracles  of  God,  we  shall  cheerfully 
surrender  all  antecedent  or  assumed  principles  which 
cannot  be  reconciled  with  their  obvious  doctrines. 


350  Mr   FATHER'S    House. 


XX. 

THE  PREPARATION. 

MANY  years  ago,  one  of  the  monarchs  of  Eussia  * 
caused  a  palace  to  be  built  of  ice,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Neva,  in  mid-winter.  The  roof,  the  walls,  the 
floors,  the  furniture,  were  all  made  of  solid  ice,  and 
finished  with  architectural  symmetry  and  beauty. 
Everything  that  might  be  expected  in  a  royal  palace 
was  found  there.  The  water,  before  it  was  frozen, 
had  been  coloured  according  to  the  respective  uses 
to  which,  when  in  the  form  of  ice,  it  was  to  be 
applied ;  so  that  the  several  parts  all  seemed  of  the 
proper  materials.  But  when  the  spring  returned, 
this  magnificent  toy  melted  away.  The  sun  spared 
not  its  beauty ;  it  wasted  before  the  same  heat  which 
dissolved  the  shapeless  masses  which  lay  "scattered 
around  it.  No  contrivance  could  exhibit  a  fitter 
illustration  of  the  vanity  of  the  hopes  and  dreams  of 
happiness,  which   too   many  are  prone   to   cherish. 

*  Empress  Anna,  in  1740. 


Tue    Pre p  a r  a  t i  o  x .  351 

They  are  gay,  they  are  flattering ;  but  they  are  cold, 
they  are  comfortless  and  unenduring.  Yet  the  ice 
palace  of  the  Russian  empress  dissolved  gradually, 
though  when  it  began  to  decay,  all  the  art  of  man 
was  unable  to  prop  it ;  but  often  death  comes  hastily, 
and,  like  the  springing  of  a  mine,  destroys  to  the 
very  foundations,  without  previous  notice."  We  are 
not  only  to  build,  but  are  to  see  to  it  with  what,  and 
upon  what  we  build.  For  the  day  is  coming  which 
shall  try  every  man's  work  of  what  sort  it  is.  They 
build  too  low,  who  lay  their  foundations  here ;  the 
freshet  will  sweep  around  and  above  them — the 
swelling  tide  will  undermine  them,  and  scatter  their 
works  to  the  winds.  They  build  too  low,  who  build 
not  upon  that  Rock  which  is  higher  than  they — the 
top  of  which  is  in  heaven — the  "Rock  of  Ages." 
Alas !  how  many  are  trifling  their  precious  time 
away,  grasping  at  evanescent  forms  of  terrestial  good, 
gathering  flowers,  sporting  on  the  precipice's  brink ! 
God,  ouT_inj.uxed-,  Eather,  says  to  His  children  on^ 
earth,  that  they  must  follow  after  holiness,  or  they 
shall  never  see  His  face.  The  small  losses  and 
sufferings  which  befall  us  here,  will  one  day  be 
accounted  as  nothing  in  comparison  with  being 
banished  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  the 
glory  of  His  power ;  all  the  wickedness  of  men  on 
earth  will  be  no  more  than  as  the  germ,  the  tiny  seed, ' 

*  Rev.  J.  Newton's  Cardiphonia,  p.  96.     Edin.  1847. 


352  My    KATll  ER'S   H  01 

to  the  ripened  fruit;  and  the  darkness  into  which 
they  will  sink,  like,  that  of  the  deepest  midnight,  in 
comparison  with  a  cloudy  day. 

It  is  one  of  the  fundamental  truths  of  Christianity, 
that  holiness  is  indispensable  to  admission  into 
heaven.  We  require  no  critical  examination,  no 
laboured  exegesis  of  texts  to  arrive  at  this  as  the 
doctrine  of  the  Scriptures.  The  Most  High  has  pro- 
claimed it,  by  the  mouth  of  all  His  holy  Prophets 
and  Apostles.  That  some  preparation  is  necessary, 
there  are  few  who  would  venture  to  deny.  Hence, 
it  becomes  important  to  consider  the  nature  of  that 
holiness  which  is  so  indispensable  to  salvation. 

It  will  help  us  to  understand  this  subject,  if  we 
consider  what  holiness  is  in  the  Divine  Being, — what 
it  is  in  angels, — and  what  it  was  in  unfallen  man. 

What,  then,  is  that  holiness,  which,  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, is  attributed  to  God  ?  It  is  something  in  which 
He  infinitely  excels  all  creatures ;  which  constitutes 
the  excellence  of  His  nature,  diffuses  lustre  over  His 
other  perfections,  and  renders  Him  ineffably  glorious. 
By  it  His  law  is  guarded,  and  His  promises  rendered 
inviolable.  The  Seraphim,  who  surround  His  throne 
in  glory,  single  it  out  as  the  subject  of  their  loftiest 
praises,  and,  with  covered  faces,  cry  one  to  another, 
"  Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord  of  hosts !"  He  is  pro- 
nounced thrice  holy,  because  he  is  possessed  of  every 
moral  perfection,  in  the  highest  possible  degree,  and 


The    Preparation.  353 

is  entitled  to  the  most  profound  reverence  and  ad- 
miration from  angels  and  men.  The  holiness  of  God, 
then,  suggests  not  only  His  majesty,  but  is  expressive 
of  the  purity  of  His  nature,  and  represents  Him  as  an 
object  of  love.  When  we  say  that  He  is  holy,  we 
mean  that  there  are  in  His  nature  certain  moral 
qualities  analogous  to  those  on  account  of  which 
unfallen  angels,  and  redeemed  men,  are  pronounced 
holy.  There  would  be  no  force  in  the  exhortation, 
"  Be  ye  holy,  for  I  am  holy,"  if  the  holiness  ascribed 
to  God  were  not  of  the  same  nature  with  that 
required  of  us.  He  is  perfectly  pure ;  His  will  is 
always  conformed  to  the  rectitude  of  His  nature,  so 
that  sin  is  the  invariable  object  of  His  hatred,  and 
righteousness  the  object  of  His  approbation.  Holi- 
ness is  the  general  name  which  expresses  the  moral 
excellence  of  the  Divine  nature,  between  which  and 
sin,  there  is  an  eternal  repugnance. 

The  holiness  of  angels  is  analogous  to  that  which 
the  Bible  ascribes  to  God,  so  far  as  finite  creatures 
can  resemble  the  infinite  Creator.  It  expresses  the 
purity  of  their  nature,  their  freedom  from  sin,  their 
approval  and  admiration  of  righteousness,  and  their 
hatred  of  sin.  God  is  the  great  Sun  of  holiness,  from 
which  they  shoot  forth  like  rays  of  light  from  the 
natural  sun.  They  are  pure,  like  their  Source. 
They  are  called  "holy  angels"  by  our  Lord;  they 
perfectly  obey  the  Divine  will.     Not  in  one  instance, 


354  My    FATHER'S    House. 

since  their  creation,  have  they  done  anything  which 
was  displeasing  to  their  King;  nor  has  a  single  sinful 
thought  or  emotion  arisen  in  their  minds.  They 
have  withstood  every  solicitation  of  counsel  and 
example ;  they  have  been  witnesses  of  many  a  cor- 
rupting display  of  human  and  angelical  depravity, 
but  have  escaped  every,  the  slightest,  taint.  From 
the  first  moment  of  their  creation,  it  has  been  their 
constant  employ  to  serve,  and  praise,  and  obey  all 
the  commands  of  Him  who  made  them. 

What  was  the  holiness  of  man  before  his  apostasy  ? 
We  are  taught  that  God  created  man  after  His  own 
image,  in  knowledge,  righteousness,  and  holiness. 
The  statement  of  the  Scriptures  that  man  was  made 
in  the  image,  and  after  the  likeness  of  the  Creator, 
must  be  understood  as  referring  principally  to  the 
properties  of  his  soul,  which  were  similar  to  the  per- 
fections of  his  Maker.  This  image  of  God  consisted 
not  merely  in  intellectual  endowments,  but  also  in 
holy  dispositions.  As  a  mirror  reflects  the  bright- 
ness of  the  sun,  so  did  his  soul,  according  to  the 
measure  of  its  capacity,  exhibit  a  counterpart  of  the 
moral  attributes  of  God.  It  was  as  impossible  that 
he  should  come  from  the  hands  of  his  Maker,  with  a 
heart  tainted  with  impurity,  or  with  the  least  ten- 
dency to  sin,  as  that  darkness  should  proceed  from 
the  sun,  or  evil  from  good.  Man,  before  the  Fall, 
was  fully  disposed  to  the  performance  of  his  duty;  he 


The    Preparation.  355 

was  averse  to  evil,  and  inclined  only  to  good ;  but, 
at  the  same  time,  lie  was  not  confirmed  in  holiness  as 
the  angels  and  glorified  saints  in  heaven  are,  beyond 
the  peradventnre  of  a  fall.  He  was  placed  in  a  state 
of  probation,  and  was  consequently  mutable,  and 
might  change  by  an  act  of  volition  ;  and  in  this  con- 
sisted his  freedom  of  will.  But  his  will  was  in 
unison  with  the  will  of  God  ;  his  happiness  arose  from 
doing  the  will  of  his  Maker.  In  the  soul  of  the  first 
man,  the  most  perfect  order  reigned.  His  will 
obeved  the  dictates  of  his  enlightened  understanding; 
his  perceptions  of  duty  were  accompanied  with 
perfect  submission  to  the  authority  by  which  it  was 
enjoined;  all  hi3  powers  so  harmonized  in  the  service 
of  his  heavenly  Father,  that  he  accounted  it,  like  the 
second  Adam,  the  Lord  from  heaven,  his  meat  and 
his  drink,  to  do  His  will,  and  finish  His  work. 

Are  we,  then,  to  understand  that  we  must  be  per- 
fectly pure,  in  the  sense  of  having  never  committed 
sin,  like  unfallen  man  in  paradise,  or  holy  angels,  in 
order  to  admission  to  heaven?  This,  verily,  was  the 
law  of  paradise;  but  that  having  been  broken,  and  the 
whole  race  become  sinful,  it  is  in  the  light  of  another 
economy — the  economy  of  grace — that  we  must  now 
seek  to  understand  the  nature  of  that  righteousness 
or  holiness,  which  fits  the  children  of  men  for  their 
Father's  house  in  heaven.  Peccable  man  did  not 
long  continue  in  his  perfect  state.     By  breaking  the 


35G  My    FATHER'S    House. 

law  of  God,  lie  lost  Ills  original  righteousness,  and  his 
whole  nature  became  corrupt.  lie  incurred  the 
fearful  penalty,  "Thou  shalt  surely  die."  lie  be- 
came mortal ;  the  seeds  of  disease  and  death  were 
planted  in  his  constitution  ;  his  body  was  doomed  to 
decline  in  vigour  and  activity,  to  feel  the  infirmities 
of  old  age,  and  at  last,  to  sink  into  the  grave.  His 
mind  was  exposed  to  disturbing  influences,  and  to 
fears  before  unknown ;  he  lost  every  hope  of  happi- 
ness ;  he  was  cast  out  of  paradise.  He  underwent 
spiritual  death ;  sin  shed  its  baneful  influence  over 
his  soul,  and  turned  its  beauty  into  deformity. 
^Nothing  remained  of  his  primitive  purity  ;  nothing 
remained  but  his  natural  faculties,  weakened  and 
corrupted — a  darkened  understanding,  a  wayward 
will,  sensual  appetites,  and  irregular  passions.  When 
the  tie  was  broken  that  connected  him  with  his 
Maker,  from  whom  those  influences  proceeded, 
which  inspired  and  sustained  his  moral  excellence, 
his  holy  dispositions  withered  and  died,  like  the 
verdure  of  a  tree  plucked  up  by  the  roots.  Human 
nature  was  essentially  the  same,  but  it  was  divested 
of  its  brightest  ornaments.  All  its  glory  was  gone, 
and  it  was  now  poor,  and  wretched,  and  miserable, 
an  object  from  which  He  who  had  lately  pronounced 
it  good,  turned  away  with  abhorrence. 

But  God,  in  infinite  mercy,  provided  a  remedy. 
He  did  not  leave  the  race  to  perish.     The  Lord  Jesus 


The    P b b p a  r a  t i o  x  .  357 

Christ,  the  eternal  Son  of  God,  took  upon  Him  our 
nature,  that  He  might  reveal  to  us  the  will  of  God 
for  our  salvation,  by  His  Word  and  Spirit;  offer 
Himself  a  sacrifice  to  satisfy  Divine  justice,  and 
reconcile  us  to  God ;  subdue  us  to  Himself  ;  and 
restrain  and.  conquer  all  His  and  our  enemies.  The 
righteousness  by  which  we  are  now  to  be  saved  is 
not  our  own ;  it  is  not  a  righteousness  inherent  to  our 
nature,  or  which  we  can  ourselves  originate,  but  it  is 
the  righteousness  of  faith.  All  our  own  righteousness 
is  as  filthy  rags.  Having  once  broken  the  law  of  God, 
or  been  out  of  conformity  unto  it,  in  the  least  degree, 
we  can  do  nothing  to  repair  the  breach ;  we  can  do 
nothing  to  honour  the  violated  law.  The  righteous- 
ness of  another,  whom  the  Law-giver  accepts,  as  our 
Surety,  and  Substitute,  must  be  our  Shield,  against 
the  penalty  of  an  outraged  law.  Our  own  works 
have  no  place  in  our  justification  before  God.  We 
owe  this  wholly  to  the  righteousness  of  Christ.  "  He 
was  made  sin  for  us,  that  we  might  be  made 
the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him."  He  is  the  end  of 
the  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  belie veth." 
'  By  the  righteousness  of  One,  the  free  gift  comes  upon 
all  men  unto  justification  of  life.'  He  was  made 
under  the  law  which  we  had  violated,  and  by  which 
we  were  condemned,  that  as  our  Surety,  He  might 
fulfill  its  demands.  From  us,  it  required  perfect 
obedience    to    its    precepts;     and    such    obedience 


358  M  y    F  A  T  II  E  11  •  S    House. 

He  yielded,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  His 
life. 

But,  although  Jesus  Christ  fulfilled  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  law,  and  it  is  revealed  and  brought  near 
to  us  in  the  Gospel,  it  is  by  faith  alone  that  it  is 
received,  or  by  which  we  obtain  such  an  interest  in 
it,  as  to  be  accepted  in  the  sight  of  God.  "What  then 
is  Faith  ?  what  is  it  to  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  God's 
only  Son?  Xo  question  can  proceed  from  mortal 
lips  of  greater  importance  than  this.  Faith  is  not, 
let  it  be  carefully  observed,  our  justifying  righteous- 
ness. The  perfect  obedience,  and  sufferings  of  Christ, 
afford  the  only  ground  of  righteousness  for  poor  sin- 
ners; and  faith  is  the  means  by  which  it  may  be 
made  theirs.  "What,  then,  is  that  by  means  of  which 
the  righteousness  of  Christ  is  made  ours,  or  set  to 
our  account?  An  Apostle  describes  it  as  "the  sub- 
stance of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things 
not  seen."  It  is  that  which,  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  possess  it,  gives  reality  to  things  future  and  hoped 
for,  and  demonstrative  evidence  of  the  existence  of 
thing's  invisible.  It  is  not  the  cold  and  listless  assent 
to  a  truth  in  which  we  feel  no  interest,  and  which 
exerts  no  influence  upon  us ;  but  it  is  our  assent  to 
that  testimony  of  God,  contained  in  the  Scriptures, 
which  we  not  only  know  is  true,  but  to  be  intimately 
connected  with  our  highest  interests.  It  is  founded 
on   clear  perceptions   of  the  truth,  the   excellence 


The    Preparation.  359 

and  the  infinite  importance  of  the  Gospel.  All 
doubts  are  dispelled,  all  objections  are  removed, 
and  the  highest  assurance  created.  It  is  not  enough, 
then,  to  say  of  faith  that  it  is  the  mere  assent  of  the 
understanding  to  what  God  has  revealed  in  his  word, 
respecting  his  Son  as  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 
Such  assent  is  included  in  faith  unto  salvation ;  but 
saving  faith  involves  as  much  the  subjection  of  the 
will— the  cordial  surrender  of  the  affections  to  Christ, 
and  is  the  gracious  work  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  : 
"  "With  the  heart,  man  believeth  unto  righteousness." 
It  is  not  enough  for  men  to  suppose  that  they  may  be 
saved,  by  faith  in  God  as  their  Creator  and  Benefac- 
tor ;  irrespective  of  the  merits  of  Christ.  "  The  mer- 
its of  Christ !  Trust  in  the  Saviour  I"  exclaims  one 
who  is  styled  a  Christian  teacher ;  "  Why  not  trust 
in  God?  Has  not  He  invited  us,  and  commanded  us 
to  trust  in  Hm  ?  Is  not  His  mercy  strong  enough  to 
bear  up  our  hope  ?  It  is  a  common  remark  that  they 
who  cannot  plead  the  atonement  of  Christ  have  noth- 
ing on  which  to  build  their  hope  of  heaven.  I  build 
my  hope  of  heaven  on  the  free  mercy  of  God ;  and 
if  that  foundation  fail,  I  perish,  but  the  universe  per- 
ishes with  me.  It  amazes  me  that  Christians  will 
treat  the  mercy  of  our  heavenly  Father  with  the 
indignity  which  they  heap  upon  it,  as  if  it  could  not 
be  trusted  without  a  guarantee,  as  if  it  could  not 


360  My    FATHER'S    House. 

accomplish  its  designs  without  help."*  Such  language 
it  needs  hardly  to  be  said,  is  inexpressibly  painful 
to  one  to  whom  the  only  revelation  of  that  abound- 
ing mercy  of  God,  which  he  adores,  has  been  made 
through  Jesus  Christ ;  and  who  is  ever  ready  to 
acknowledge  that  he  never  had  one  emotion  of  true 
love  to  God,  or  knew  what  it  was  to  put  confidence  in 
IIim,  till  he  had  put  his  trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
appointed,  by  the  Father,  to  be  the  propitiation  for 
our  sins.  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved.''  Christ  crucified  is  the  only 
object  of  justifying  faith.  There  is  no  other  name 
given  under  heaven  and  among  men  whereby  we 
can  be  saved.  There  is  no  mercy  of  God  out  of 
Christ.  He  is  inaccessible  to  the  guilty — a  consum- 
ing fire,  until  He  is  beheld  in  Christ,  reconciling  the 
world  to  Himself,  not  imputing  their  trespasses  unto 
them.  The  word  of  God  calls  faith  a  receiving  of 
Christ — a  looking  unto  Hdi — a  coming  to  Hm — a 
building  upon  Hm — a  fleeing  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  on 
the  hope  set  before  us — an  eating  His  flesh  and  drink- 
ing His  blood.  The  believing  sinner  is  brought  to  see 
that  the  atonement  of  Christ  is  the  only  ground,  and 
that  this  is  all  sufficient,— that  guilty  as  he  is,  he  can 
take  refuge  here,  and  that  God,  for  His  Son's  sake, 
will  freely  pardon  all  his  transgressions ;  he  therefore 

♦Rev.  E.  S.  Gannett,  D.D.,  Boston,  Tract  on  Atonement,  p.  29. 


Toe    Preparation.  361 

trusts  in  Jesus  Christ  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  This 
is  the  faith  that  savingly  unites  to  Christ ;  for  the 
want  of  this  every  hope  of  heaven  must  expire. 
"  He  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life  ;  but 
the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him."  "We  must  be  found 
in  Christ,  or  we  shall  not  see  life ;  we  cannot  enter 
heaven.  And  we  must  have  more  than  a  nominal 
connexion  with  Him,  and  His  church  by  baptism,  or  by 
the  profession  of  His  name  ;  "  for  in  Christ  Jesus, 
neither  circumcision  availeth  anything,  nor  uncir- 
cumcision,  but  a  new  creature."  It  matters  not 
whether  a  man  be  a  Jew  or  a  Gentile  ;  it  will  be  of 
no  avail  at  last,  whether  we  belonged  to  the  circum- 
cision, or  the  uncircumcision,  or  by  what  name  we 
have  been  called,  or  to  what  party  we  have  belonged, 
if  we  are  not  found  new  creatures  in  Christ.  Our 
minds  must  be  enlightened,  by  revealed  truth  being 
clearly  presented  and  powerfully  enforced,  by  the 
Spirit  of  God  ;  our  wills  renewed,  so  that  the  delib- 
erate and  settled  choice  of  the  soul,  instead  of  being 
as  hitherto,  in  favour  of  earthly  and  selfish  good, 
shall  be  obtained  in  favour  of  Christ,  and  the  bles- 
sings offered  in  the  Gospel, — and  our  affections, 
instead  of  cleaving  to  perishable  vanities,  all  con- 
trolled, elevated,  refined,  and  made  to  centre  on 
divine  and  spiritual  good.  The  renewed  and  par- 
doned sinner  possesses  humble  gratitude,  ardent  love, 
a  hope  full  of  immortality,  a  peace  which  passeth  all 

16 


362  My   F  A  ',  Bouse. 

understanding,  a  joy  which  the  world  knoweth  not, 
and  cannot  give,  lie  lives,  lie  walks,  by  faith.  In 
prosperity,  he  knows  how,  with  grateful  affections,  to 
trace  all  his  blessings  to  the  Divine  hand.  In  adver- 
sity, lie  knows  how  sweet  it  is,  in  the  confidence  of 
faith,  still  to  trust  in  God  ; — his  greatest  happiness  he 
often  experiences  in  the  absence  of  all  external  signs 
of  it ;  he  can  sing  in  the  house  of  his  pilgrimage, 
and  triumph  even  in  the  hour  of  death. 

Let  it  not  be  concluded  that  this  doctrine  of  salva- 
tion by  faith  alone,  without  the  works  of  the  law,  is 
unfavourable  to  holiness,  by  weakening  or  destroying 
the  motives  of  it.  Justifying  faith  is  always  pre- 
ceded or  accompanied  by  repentance — a  repentance 
which  consists  in  turning  from  sin  nnto  God,  through 
Jesus  Christ.  There  can  be  no  saving  faith  without 
such  repentance.  We  acknowledge  that  if  there 
were  an  irreconcilable  opposition  between  free  jus- 
tification and  the  necessity  of  holiness,  the  most 
powerful  inducement  to  good  works  would  be  taken 
away.  But  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that 
because  good  works  are  not  necessary  to  the  justifi- 
cation of  a  sinner,  they  are.  not  necessary  on  any 
other  ground,  or  for  any  other  purpose,  and  are 
useless.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  justifi- 
cation and  sanctification  may  be  separated,  or  that  a 
man  may  be  received  into  the  favour  of  God,  and 
still  continue  in  sin.     God  has  macle  purity  of  heart — 


;     PBEPAEATIOX.  363 

while  it  is  not,  and  could  not,  in  the  nature  i 
be  the  condition  of  our  justification — an  indis 
qualification  for  eternal  happiness.  Nothing  is  more 
derogatory  to  the  Divine  character  than  to  su] 
that  the  design  of  the  mission  of  Christ  was  to  repeal 
the  moral  law,  or  to  relax  the  severity  of  its  demands. 
He  endured  the  curse,  and  abolished  it  in  respect  to 
all  who  believe  on  Him,  but  He  made  no  change  in 
the  precepts.  Infinite  as  is  His  merit,  and  powerful 
as  is  His  intercession,  they  avail  not  to  any  who  con- 
tinue in  sin.  He  will  acknowledge  none  to  be  His 
disciples,  at  the  last  day,  but  those  who  have  done 
honour  to  Him  as  their  Lord,  according  to  His  own 
words :  "  Ye  are  my  disciples  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I 
command  you."  He  will  vindicate  His  justice,  and 
manifest  His  righteousness,  in  the  awards  then  to  be 
made,  to  men's  own  consciences  and  to  the  entire 
universe.  Hence,  the  day  of  judgment  is  called  the 
revelation  of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God.  It  will 
not  be  a  process  to  discover  evidence  on  which  to 
condemn  or  acquit,  but  a  declarative  judgment ;  that 
is,  the  judgment  already  passed  in  the  Divine  mind, 
on  the  state  of  men's  hearts,  will  be  published,  and 
such  evidences  will  be  employed  as  will  clearly 
manifest,  not  only  to  the  universe,  but  to  the  con- 
sciences of  men,  that  the  judgment  of  God  is  right- 
eous. Men  will  not  be  called  on  to  state  the  manner 
of   their    conversion,   or  to   give   account   of    their 


364  My  FATH  ER'  S    House. 

experience;  but  the  works  of  every  man  will  be 
brought  forward,  as  evidence  against  him,  or  for  him. 
"God  will  bring  every  work  into  judgment,  with 
every  secret  thing,  whether  it  be  good  or  evil." 
"Works  Avill  show  what  men  have  done  in  darkness 
as  well  as  light.  The  balances  in  which  they  will  be 
iied,  will  be  visible;  they  themselves  will  per- 
ceive, and  the  whole  universe  be  convinced,  that  the 
judgment  respecting  them  is  righteous.  We  do  well, 
inasmuch  as  we  are  not  ignorant  of  the  rule  which 
the  Supreme  Judge  will  make  use  of,  to  sit  in  judg- 
ment on  ourselves,  day  by  day.  Let  us  ask  ourselves 
how  the  actions  of  each  passing  clay  will  be  likely  to 
affect  the  decision  to  be  made  at  the  last  audit. 

Tims  has  it  been  made  to  appear  that  that  faith 
which  is  unto  life  everlasting,  is  not  a  mere  intellec- 
tual assent  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  a  dead, 
inoperative  principle,  but  associates  the  heart  with 
the  understanding,  and  diffusing  a  living  influence 
over  the  powers  of  the  soul,  enlists  them  all  in  the 
service  of  God.  In  this  world,  there  is  a  mixture  of 
moral  good  and  evil;  but  heaven,  the  region  of  light, 
is  separated,  by  an  impassable  gulf,  from  the  kingdom 
of  darkness.  The  felicity  of  its  inhabitants  will 
result  from  their  perfection,  the  order  of  their  facul- 
ties, and  their  exercise  upon  the  noblest  objects;  in 
the  love  of  God,  and  the  *  love  of  one  another. 
"Blessed  are  they  that  do  His  commandments,  that 


Thk    Preparation.  305 

they  may  have  a  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  and  may 
enter  in  through  the  gates  into  the  city."  "Without 
holiness  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord."  There  is  no 
indiscriminate  admission  into  our  Father's  House; 
His  family  He  will  protect;  its  members  are  all 
fitted  to  their  places,  and  their  employments.  And 
when  the  throne  of  God  shall  be  surrounded  by 
millions  of  angels,  who  have  kept  their  first  estate, 
and  of  human  beings  who  have  been  redeemed  from 
corruption  by  the  blood  of  His  Son,  and  the  opera- 
tion of  His  Spirit,  He  will  once  more  rejoice  in  His 
works,  and  pronounce  them,  amid  the  joyful  shout- 
ings of  the  sons  of  God,  very  good. 

I  have  been  thus  particular  in  stating  the  nature 
and  ground  of  that  holiness  which  men  must  "  fol- 
low" in  this  life,  in  order  to  be  made  perfectly  and 
for  ever  holy  in  heaven,  because  I  would  not,  in  so 
momentous  a  matter,  employ  the  phraseology  of 
religion,  without  clearly  stating  the  meaning  which 
must  be  attached  to  the  terms  employed.  There  are 
many  ready  to  say,  "  Why  surely,  men  must  be  good, 
must  be  holy,"  who  keep  entirely  out  of  view  the 
nature  of  Scriptural  holiness.  "We  must  forsake  our 
iniquities ;  we  must  be  justified  by  faith ;  we  must 
be  renewed  and  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Spirit;  we 
must  grow  in  grace  ;  sincerity  in  making  the  Divine 
command  our  rule  of  conduct,  must  be  our  Gospel 
perfection,  or  Ave  can  never  see  the  Lord. 


3G6  My   FATHER'S   Eoi 

In  drawing  to  a  conclusion,  let  mc  earnestly  and 
solemnly  appeal  to  every  unconverted  man,  woman, 
or  child,  whose  eyes  may  rest  on  these  pag< 
reflect  on  what  is  implied  in  not  seeing  the  face  of 
the  Lord  in  glory,  and  to  seek  the  Lord  now  while 
He  may  he  found,  and  call  upon  Him  while  He  is 
near.  Our  lost  time  is  a  momentous  consideration  to 
urge  us  to  increased  diligence  in  improving  the  little 
that  remains.  "Who  can  estimate  the  value  of  a 
single  day  ? 

■•  •  I've  lost  a  day' — the  prince  who  nobly  cried. 
Had  been  an  emperor  without  his  crown." 

Who  can  estimate  so  important  a  portion  of  human 
life  a?  a  year  ?  How  many  of  your  precious  days, 
dear  reader,  have  "been  wasted  ?  LIow  many  of  your 
years  have  "been  lost — irretrievably  lost,  so  far  as  it 
respects  the  great  duty  of  human  life  ?  Life,  at  the 
longest,  is  hut  short,  and  that  which  was  short  at  the 
first  has  only  been  reduced  by  your  passing — shall  I 
say  ? — wasted  years.  Wasted,  they  have  been  worse 
than  wasted — if  they  have  not  been  devoted  to  the 
great  object  for  which  they  were  given,  to  glorify 
^God  on  the  earth,  and  to  prepare  to  enjoy  Him 
for  ever  in  heaven.  Llave  ten  or  fifteen  years  pa 
then  so  much  the  less  time  remains  to  you.  Have 
thirty?  have  forty?  Oh,  how  rapidly  is  the  span 
reduced  !     Have  we  ten — have  we  twenty — have  we 


T  H  E     P  R  E  P  A  R  A  T  I  O  N.  367 

forty  left?  Who  can  count  upon  forty?  Forty 
years  hence,  and  most  of  those  who  are  now  moving 
amid  the  busy  scenes  of  life,  will  be  awaiting-  the 
morning  of  the  resurrection.  We  stand,  as  it  were. 
on  a  little  bank  of  crumbling  sand,  washed  by  the 
waves,  on  every  side.  Every  wave  leaves  our  foot- 
hold less  secure.  Every  flying  hour,  every  closing- 
day,  every  revolving  year,  leaves  the  number  less. 
Time,  loiter  as  we  may,  lingers  not.  And  though  we 
may  neglect  our  work,  death  does  not  neglect  hie. 
There  is  probably  not  an  hour  of  the  day,  and  not  a 
minute  of  the  hour,  when  some  souls  are  not  pas 
from  these  mortal  scenes  to  a  dread  eternity. 

Kepent, — believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — 
commence  a  life  of  obedience  to  the  Divine  com- 
mands, and  you  may  be  able  10  say  of  that  dark 
grave,  that  "unwindowed  cell,"  which  is  sunk  across 
your  path,  as  a  good  man  once  said  of  his,  with  an 
almost  supernatural  animation  and  emphasis,  "it  is 
the  brightest  spot  in  all  my  course  on  earth;"* 
because  faith  will  enable  you  to  view  it  as  the  portal 
to  everlasting  bibs. 

It  has  been  the  object  of  these  pages  to  describe,  as 
far  as  the  word  of  God  has  given  us  any  light,  that 
great  glory,  which  awaits  all  those  whom  God  hath 
called  to  the  fellowship  of  his  dear  Son.  We  have  no 
abiding  city  here  ;  we  are  pilgrims  and  strangers,  and 
*Life  of  F.  Markoe,  E?q.  New  York,  by  Dr.  Skinner. 


368  My    FATHER'S  Hoi 

the  time  is  not  long,  ere  all  this  glory  shall  stand  re- 
vealed to  all  who  have  made  preparation  to  enter  upon 
it.  "We  are  borne  on,  amid  the  rapids  of  time.  A  few 
more  billows  on  these  dangerous  seas,  perhaps  a  few 
days  of  fair  weather  is  the  most  we  can  look  fur,  be- 
fore we  are  either  ship-wrecked,  or  reach  the  destined 
haven.  Oh  !  can  you  adopt  the  language  of  one  who 
felt  the  vanity  of  the  world,  and  its  insufficiency  as  a 
portion,  and  say,  "  This  world  is  not  my  home.  I 
have  made  it  my  resting-place  too  long.  I  hear  a 
voice  to-day  in  accents  sweet  as  angels  use,  whisper- 
ing to  my  lonely  heart,  '  Arise  and  depart  hence,  for 
this  is  not  your  rest.'  I  am  away  from  my  Father's 
house.  I  have  felt  vexations  and  trials.  I  have  expe- 
rienced disappointments  and  losses.  I  have  known 
the  alienation  of  earthly  friends.  I  am  not  a  stran- 
ger to  dejected  hopes.  I  know  something  of  conflicts 
within.  But  now  and  then  I  have  a  glimpse  of  the 
distant  promised  inheritance,  which  more  than  com- 
pensates me  for  all.  I  would  fain  feel  like  one  who 
is  passing  from  place  to  place,  and  going  from  object 
to  object,  with  his  eye  fixed  on  some  long-wished  for 
abode  beyond ;  while  every  successive  scene  brings 
me  nearer  to  the  end  of  my  course ;  and  all  these 
earthly  vicissitudes  endear  the  hopes  of  that  final 
rest.'"1'  Let  us,  with  the  Pilgrim,  ascend  the  "hill, 
Clear,"  where  the  splendours  of  the  holy  city  shall 

*  Dr.  Spring's  Fragment?,  p.  45. 


The    Pre  p  a  r  a  t  ion-.  369 

break  upon  the  view ;  and  the  prospect,  even  though 
it  be  no  more  than  of  "  something  like  the  gate,  and 
some  of  the  glory  of  the  place,"  will  strengthen 
and  cheer  us  for  the  journey  that  remains  before  us. 
Then  we  shall  be  enabled  to  say,  Let  cares  and  fears 
be  multiplied  ;  let  temptations  assail  us  ;  let  us  be  des- 
titute, afflicted,  tormented,  yet  oh !  the  time  is  not 
long;  and  even  when  death  is  ready  to  swallow  us 
up,  we  shall  cry  out,  O  Death,  where  is* thy  sting? 
O  glory  !     Welcome  glory  ! 


THE   END. 


ODEX. 


A. 

Abel,  282. 
Abraham,  153,  2S5. 
Absent  from  the  body,  173. 
Adams,  J.  Q.  Hon.,  275. 
Adams,  N.  Rev.  D.D  .  234. 
Advent,  described,  2 

Adult    and    infant    regeneration,    com- 
pared, 265 
Affection  natural  in  heaven,  232. 
Africa.  123. 
Ahab, 

Alexander,  Dr.,  que 
Alternative,  fearful, 
America,  123. 
American  Indians,  29. 
Amenophis,  287. 
Analogy, 

Angel-companions,  217. 
Angels,  once  all  holy,  217,  219. 

"       agreeable  companions,  225. 

"       at  the  tomb,  231. 

" 

"      holiness 

"       immorta 

"       inl 

"       in  the  garden,  231. 

"       in  the  chamber  of  death.  235. 

"       interest  in  redemption,  22J 

"       rejoicing  over  creatio 

"       obligations  to  Clirist,  222. 
Angelic  agency.  282,  228 
Angelic  j  iy  over  sinners,  233. 
Anna,  empres:  - 
Antediluvian  sinners,  299. 
Antiochus  Epipham    . 

Apocal.i  pse,  87. 
Apostas  .  355. 

Appeal,  solemn,  366. 
Arts  fie  es,  150. 

Armenian  Princess,  'j;1-. 
Ark,  in  the.  2S5. 

'  \  C9 

Asia,  122. 
Asdrubal,  316. 

Atonement,  great  day  of,  143. 
Attributes  incommunicable,  171. 


B. 

Carriers  unknown  in  heaven,  91. 
Battle-field,  111. 
Balaam,  3  5. 
Balak,  3 

Belshazzar,  303. 
Bethel,  153. 
Beauty  in  death,  275. 
Bethune,  Dr.  quoted.  '27!. 
Bible,  a  guide  to  Christ  and  heaven,  345. 
"     incomparable,  26. 
"      ignored,  '.'7. 
"     welcomed,  48. 
"      proves  recognition,  '247. 
"     not  addressed  to  infants,  259. 
I  Bingham  quoted,  1S5. 

phy,  a  sp.  mdid,  2S3. 
i  Birth  of  Christ,  angelic  joy  over,  '.'•  I. 
|  Bloomfield,  quote!.  2 
I  Blagden,  Dr.,  quoted,  193. 
Blessings  exceed  the  curse,  262. 
Body,  restored,  188. 

"'     same,  rises,  194,  195. 
Bolingbroke,  Lord,  344. 
liond'of  relationship  in  heaven.  240. 
Bowles,  Caroline,  52. 
I  Brainard,  292. 
i  Brahminism,  32. 

Bramble  burning,  154. 
|  Brewster,  Sir  D.,  quoted,  73. 
Bryant,  quoted.  156. 
'Burr,  A.  Rev.  293. 
Bush,  Prof.  192,  190. 

C. 

Caligula,  316. 
Calvin,  quoted,  271.  292. 
Calumny  refuted,  21  i. 
Cain,  110,  298. 
Campbell.  Dr.,  quoted,  175. 
Carlisle,  34. 
Cardiphonia,  351. 
Chalmers,  Dr.,  71,  276. 
Children  in  h 
Children  little,  and  I 
Covenant  of  grace,  8 
Childhood  in  heaven.  256. 


;t2 


1  S  1 1  E  X  . 


Chamber  of  death, 
Christ.  Am-,  r  ion 
"      high  prii 
"      and  the  angels,  229. 
"      died  for  little  children,  263. 

chief  al  traction  of  heai 
"      in  li is  brethren,  218. 
"     and  liis  saint--.  170. 

nity  in  heaven,  ICO. 
nity  perverted,  127. 
"  without  a  priesthood,  148. 

Christian,  homesick,  161. 
Christians,  unworthy  views  of,  54. 
Charity,  importance  of,  218. 
Choirs,  infant,  in  heaven,  207. 
Cholera,  111. 
Cities  of  the  plain,  800. 

"Clear  Hill,"  369. 

Cohort,  the  invisible,  231. 
Communion  above,  213. 

"  with  God,  160. 

Commerce,  91. 

Confidence  in  the  Judge,  210. 
Consolation,  lSii,  254. 

"  for  the  death  of  children,  276. 

Conscience,  a  guilty,  812. 
Consumption,  1U9. 
Contrast.  40. 
Cornelin 
Cowper,  108,1 
Cowper's  dejection,  133. 
Court  and  holy  place.  145. 
Cousin,  84. 
Covetou.-ness.  324. 
Creation,  and  the  angels,  226. 
Cripple  a.  of  fifty  year 
Cyrus,  2 

D. 

Darkness  no,  in  heaven,  124. 
Davies  Ties.,  197,  293. 
Pay  no,  in  hell,  185. 
David  in  darkness,  132. 

"      in  light,  157. 
David's  death 

"      hope,  248. 
Deaf  men  in  the  pulpit,  100,  101. 

"     mil' 
Death  no,  in  heaven,  108. 

"      in  the  world,  110. 

"      of  Abel,  110. 

■•       Of  T.  S.P.,  Jr.,108. 
Dead  r 
Death. 

"      r  r  infants,  262. 

"     moment  of,  177. 

"     woi  ition,  833. 

Delusions  popular,  forestalled,  24. 

" 
Delusion,  return  of,  127. 
Degrees,  the  four  Hindoo,  31. 
Deformities,  I 

Demonstrations  of  death,  335. 
Dick,  Dr.  J.,  quoted,  1G3,  200. 
Dissolution,  terror  of,  86. 


Disciples  like  children,  269. 

-,  125. 
Divinity  oi  the  Judge,  209. 
Dod,  I'rni.,  quoted,  192. 

Do r  the  earth,  76. 

Door,  Christ  the 
Druids,  28,  273. 
Drunkards,  881. 
Durant,  quob  I.  ]  -7. 


Earth    present,  not  to  be  the  seat  or 
heaven,  71. 

"     new,  pari  oi  heaven,  79. 

"  it,  75. 

Edwards,  lVes.,  293. 

"  "      quoted,  61. 

Elijah,  2S9. 
Elite,  heaven  of,  51. 
Elder  pious,  159. 
Emerson,  84. 
Enemy,  last,  113. 
Enoch,  2S3. 
Epicureans,  30. 

Equality  of  saints  and  angels,  224. 
Error  no,  in  heaven,  126. 

"     effect  of,  on  the  the  mind,  44. 
Estimates,  no  false,  at  the  judgment,  210 
Europe,  123. 
Extent  of  heaven,  72. 
Extortion 

Existence,  uninterrupted,  338. 
Ezekiel's  temple,  146. 


Faber's,  Rev.  (1.  S.,  views,  72. 
Faith,  358. 

"      evidence  of,  213. 

"       and  sense,  347. 
Fawcett,  248. 

Fear  no,  in  heaven,  89,  838. 
Fellowship  Christian,  in  heaven,  242. 
Finley,  Pres.,293. 
Fire,  destruction  by,  76. 
Flavel  quoted,  144. 
Flood,  2S4. 

Formalities  at  the  judgment,  207. 
Foreign  land,  243. 
Foundation  sure,  351. 
Fuller  .A.  fl,  2  '7. 

G. 

Gannet,  Rev.  E.  ?..  D.D.,  quoted,  859. 

reveals    pa  in     the 

earth,  77. 
Glory  of  the  Lor 

"       spiritual,  of  Cod,  163. 
-.  167. 

"      of  Christ  seen  in  His  people,  239. 
God  unchai 

"    a  ci  of  Christ,  360. 

"     presence  of,  in  worship,  151. 

"     vision  of,  152. 

"    everywhere,  156. 


373 


God  seen  in  Christ,  16S. 

Goodness  of  God,  841. 

Grace,  doctrine  of,  not  licentious,  302. 

Gray,  quoted,  117. 

Grave,  made  welcome,  341. 

Greatness  of  God,  ! 

Green,  Dr.  A.,  293. 

Gregory,  Dr..  quoted,  176. 

Greenwood,  Rev.  Mr.,  quoted,  94. 

Greek  schools,  earliest,  33. 

H. 

Hades,  179. 

Happiness  of  meeting  friends  in  heaven, 

162. 
Harp-notes  at  death,  234. 
Heaven,  wrong  views  of,  53. 

"         imaginary,  06. 

"        already  prepared,  73. 

"         crowning  dispensation,  27. 

"         presence  of  Christ  in. 

"         world  of  knowledge,  '.'41. 

"        largely  composed  of  infants,  270. 
Heathen,  why  condemned,  322. 

"        rule  of  judging,  25S. 
Hegel,  34. 
Herods,  the,  309. 
Herod  the  great,  272,  309,  310. 

"      Antipas,  31 1. 

"      Agrippa,  312. 
Hierarchy,  heavenly,  223. 
High  priest  in  the  holy  of  holies,  142. 
Himmeleh,  123. 
Hindooism,  30. 
Hobart,  Bishop,  quoted,  166. 
Hodge,  Dr.,  quoted,  260,  ^05,  271. 
Holiness  confirmed,  61. 

"        progressive,  64. 
Holy  place  and  Holy  of  Holies,  one,  146. 
Hope,  great,  171. 
Hottentot,  124. 

H<.we,  John,  quoted,  164,  222. 
Humanity  glorified,  147. 

"  of  the  Judge,  207. 

Hume  David,  30. 
Hypocrisy  exposed,  214. 

I. 

Ice  palace,  350. 

Identity  of  the  body,  236. 

Idolaters,  320. 

Idolatry  of  money,  325. 

Ignorance  of  God,  121. 

"  nature,  126. 

Imperfection  of  human  judgments,  210. 

Imputation  of  sin  to  infants,  261. 

Impurity,  327. 

Infant     salvation     and     Divine     sove- 
reignty, 266. 

Infant     salvation    proved    from    Scrip- 
ture, 206. 

Infants  all  saved,  270. 

Infanticide  overruled,  273. 

Innocence  and  peace,  66. 


Innocent.?,  slaughter  of,  Gin. 
Intellectual  cultivation,  insufficient,  340. 
impro 
Hon  at  the  judgment,  211. 
Intimacy  of  saints  and  angels,  224. 
Isaac,  285. 
Isaiah.  - 

.7. 

Jacob, 153 

Jeremiah,  29(1. 

Jewish  worshipper  at  the  Tabernacle,  142. 

Job,  133, 157.  ' 

John,  Apostle,  291,  157. 

"  "       description  of  heaven,  2S0. 

Joseph,  2SG. 
Judgment  and  heaven,  202. 

"  near,  215. 

Judge,  the,  208. 

perfect,  210. 
Judge,  the  unjust 
Judas  Iscariot,  313. 
Judson,  Di 

"        Mrs.,  292. 

K. 

Knowledge,  effect  of,  22. 

"  and  holiness,  128. 

"  why  called  sight,  107. 

Knox,  John,  292. 

L. 

Lama,  Grand,  328. 
Latter-day,  137. 
Lazarus  and  Abraham,  250. 
Leighton,  157,  159. 
Liars,  32 S. 
Life,  endless,  22. 
"     human.  126. 
Literal  description.  207. 
Living  and  dying.  175. 
Locke,  quoted-   I 
Love,  perfect,  62. 

"    element  of  blessedness,  63. 
Lowrie,  85,  294. 

Love  for  kindred,  in  the  future  world,  252. 
Longfellow,  quoted,  i 
Loss  of  children,  afflictive,  274. 
Lot,  300. 
Luther,  292. 


M. 

Macdonald,  Rev.  John,  15S. 
Man,  a  mystery,  130. 
Mant,  Bishop,  quoted,  252. 
Markoe,  F.,  Esq.,  367. 
Martyn,  Henry,  134,  158,  292. 
Mary,  mother  of  our  Lord,  2S1. 

"      Magdalene,  291. 

"     of  Bethany,  291. 
May,  201. 

Mcknight,  quoted,  252. 
Melvill,  quoted,  119, 198. 


Index. 


Meditoria!  kingdom,  170. 
Memory  in  >-i 
if,  10  I. 

Mental  faculties  under  perfect  control, 

131. 
Merits  ol  ■  ble,  359. 

Metemp 
Miller's  hymn,  quoted,  '242. 

r,  Dr.,  29+. 
Mills,  SamuelJ.,  86. 
Milton,  103. 
Miriam,  290. 

Ministers,  and  their  hearers,  251. 
Ministry,  Christian,  144. 
Miracles  of  the  resurrection,  109. 
Mixture   of  good   and  evil,   in    h 

UOlle, 

Modern  errors,  :'i's. 
Mohammed,  39. 
Mohammedism,  39. 
Mohammedan  paradise,  40. 
Moloch,  273. 
Money  and  the  gift  of  God,  147. 

d,  26S. 
Moses  at  Horeb,  154. 
Muses,  2S7. 
Moses's  death,  28S. 
Multitude  of  infants  saved,  272. 
Murderer,  first,  293. 
Muston's  recognition  quoted,  249. 
Mystery,  94. 

Mysterious      dispensations      of     Provi- 
dence, 59. 


Nature  mute,  342. 

"       priests  of,  343. 
Nebo,  288. 
Nebuchadnezzar.  272,  303. 

Nero,  316,  318. 
Nevins,  Dr.,  294. 
Newell,  Harriet,  202. 
Newton,  Sir  I.,  292. 

Rev.  J.,  quoted,  269. 
New  heavens  and  earth,  75. 
Night,  no,  115. 

'•       phenomena  of,  11 G. 

"      necessary  now,  117. 

"      uses  of,  1 1>. 

l;      metaphorical  sense  of,  120. 

"       meaning  of  absence  of,  121. 

"      no  spiritual,  182. 
Noah,  284. 
Notion  unintelligible,  176. 

O. 

Object  of  the  work,  23. 

Objective  divine  glory  in  heaven,  152. 

Objection  to  the  doctrine  of  future  recog 

nition,  252. 
Obedience  and  sacrifice,  307 
Old  age,  99. 

»f  God,  297. 
Orphans,  S3. 

Ordinances,  none  in  heaven,  137. 
"Outer"  place,  817. 


Parker,  Theodore,  34. 
Pantheism,  84. 

Payson's,  Dr.,  depression,  134. 
d,  Dr.,  158. 

Paul,  157. 

Patrick,  Bishop,  quoted,  165. 

Par  tdise,  1 31. 

Parable  of  rich  man  and  Lazarus,  1S2. 

Paley,  Dr.,  quoted,  250. 

Parents,  irreligio  1,  27S. 

Passions,  avengers,  884. 
"        un 

Path  to  heaven,  :'.l  I. 

Peaceful  society,  53. 

Penn,  Win.,  29. 

Peter,  apostle,  157. 

1  Pet.  iii.  6-13,  75. 

l'ekin.  27:;. 

Peri  s  of  the  mind,  331. 

Pharaoh,  301. 

Pillar  of  cloud  and  fire,  155. 

Pilate,  314. 

Pisgah,  view  from,  2S8. 

Place,  middle,  17S. 

Place  of  Heaven,  68. 

Plato,  323,  37. 

Plague,  tenth,  301. 

Plagues,  Egyptian,  301. 

Pope,  quoted,  29. 

Poverty,  93. 

Polynesian  mothers,  273. 

Pollock,  quote.! 

Praises  of  Children,  267. 

Preacher,  youi 

Present  with  the  Lord,  174. 

Presence  of  angels,  229. 

Priests  in  the  Holy  Place,  142. 

"        pretender..  ]  ;.i. 
Priesthood  of  Chiist,  144 
Priesthoods,  human,  abolished,  143. 
Procession,  funeral,  110. 
Purpose  of  the  judgment,  206. 
Punishments,  none  for  infants,  260. 

Q. 

Questions,  interesting,  173. 
Question,  old,  unanswered,  342. 

"         important,  268. 
Quick  the,  changed,  2U6. 

P.. 

Rachael  weeping,  311. 

Reason  for  writing,  23. 

Religion  without  ordinances,  139. 

Redemption  ami  the  angels,  227. 

Seid,  Dr.,  on  memory,  336. 

Ked  Sea,  808. 

Regeneration,  infant,  264. 

Recognition,  236. 

Recognition  gives  adoring  views  of  God, 
24u: 

Recognition  a  practical  doctrine,  253. 

Regeneration,  361. 

Resurrection  proves  the  locality  of  Hea- 
ven, 70. 


I  N  l>  E  X 


315 


Reticence  of  Scripture,  23. 
Reverence  for  sanctuaries,  13S. 
Resurrection,  objections  to,  192. 

Christ' 

body,  VJ-,  199. 
Retribuiors  of  wrath,  317. 
Reason,  defecated,  335. 
Revilers,  327. 

Revelation,  why  needed,  341. 
Righteousness  of  Christ  and  infants,  258. 
Ruck  of  ages,  351. 
Russell,  JL»r.,  quoted,  '270. 
Rutherford,  L57. 
Rule  of  judging  infants,  253. 

S. 

.Salvation  by  faith,  357. 

of  infants,  264. 
Saint,  first,  in  heaven,  -~:  . 
Sarah,  ;J90. 
Saul  of  Tarsus,  290, 
Saul,  king,  306. 

Saints,  recounting  the  goodness  of  God, 
240. 

Sacrifice  of  Cain,  298. 

nt,  205, 

Scott,  Dr  ,  q 

Schautiler,  'Jli>. 

Scandinavian  bards,  23. 

Si  bools,  ancient  metaphysical,  30. 

Schools,  earliest  Greek,  33. 

Sea,  a  burying  place,  84. 
'•    an  linage  of  instability,  92. 

Seeing  God,  169. 

Seed  buried  and  buried  bodies,  190. 

Seeing  Christ  at  the  judgment,  204. 

Separate  state,  175. 

Shakespeare,  quoted,  85,  236. 

Shadow  by  the  hearth,  274. 

Shame,  333. 

Sheol,  180. 

Shepherd  and  the  lambs,  266. 

Sherlock,  Bishop,  quoted,  1»5. 

Shores  of  Suez,  304. 

Sickness,  none  in  heaven,  108. 

Significance  of  the  Tabernacle  and  Tem- 
ple, 142. 

Simplicity  of  true  worship,  150. 

Sitting  with  patriarchs,  249. 

Sinai  and  Sion,  279. 

Simpson,  African  missionary,  294. 

Sight,  hi  st,  following  resurrection,  202. 

Small  the,  before  God,  259. 

Skinner,  Dr.,  367. 

Smith,  Mrs.  S.  L.,  234. 

"      Stanhope,  Pres.,  293. 

Society  of  heaven,  58,  230. 

"        conditions  of  happy,  319. 
"        of  the  lost,  317. 

Socrates,  323,  351. 

Socrates's  last  words,  36. 
"  doctrines,  37. 

Sodom,  300.  • 

Son  of  Man,  coming,  202. 

Sorcerers,  329. 

Spring,  190. 


Spring,  Dr.,  257,  368. 

"  Spiritualism  "  modern,  97. 

Stars,  disappearance  of,  77. 

Stephen, 

Stephen's  martyrdom,  69, 176. 

Sirauss,  34. 

Supernaturalism 

Swearers,  328. 

Swedenborgianism,  41. 

Swedenborg  quoted,  45. 

Swe-denborg's  heaven,  42. 

T. 

Tabernacle  built,  140. 

"  described,  141. 

Tamerlane,  816. 
Tanjore,  123. 
Taylor,  Jane,  quoted,  24. 
Temple,  no  in  heaven,  136. 

"  •'  "         imports,  133. 

Theophany,  perpetual,  141. 
Thief,  impenitent,  175. 

11    -  penitent,  175. 
Thomas,  157. 
Thorn  in  the.flesh,  10S. 
Thotmes,  287. 

on  quoted,  165,  167. 
Time  of  judgment  unknown,  215. 

"     short,  367. 
Toil,  no  in  heaven,  89. 
Transfiguration-glories,  169. 
Translation  of  Enoch,  6S,  284. 
Elijah,  63,  290. 
T.  S.  P.  Jr..  1U2. 
Tupper,  M.  1\,  quoted,  317. 
Types  feeble,  no  more,  95. 

U. 

Unworthy  views  of  heaven,  32. 
Unfallen  man,  354. 


Vishnu,  325. 

Vicissitudes  of  experience,  132. 

Vision,  beatific,  147. 

"       of  Paul,  70,  1S3, 
Visions  of  John,  21. 

w. 

Want,  97. 
War,  110. 
Waterloo,  192. 
Watts,  Isaac,  292. 

«  "     quoted,  175, 200. 

Walls,  aqueous,  304. 
W.  B.  of  P.,  105. 
Welch,  John,  153. 
Wellington,  110. 

Westminster  Confession,  quoted,  215. 
"  Larger,  catechism,  216. 

Whitefield,  292. 
White,  Kirk,  quoted,  112. 
Will  of  God,  subjection  to,  56. 
Wicked  not  saved,  297. 


376 


Index. 


Witherspoon,  Dr.,  298. 
Works  at  the  judgment,  211. 
"      Importance  of,  212. 
"      not  i  lie  foundation  of  title  to  hea- 
ven, 212, 
"       of  (jod  understood,  GO. 
Worship  perfect,  53. 

"        places  of,  sacred,  138. 

"        value  of,  133. 

"        houses  of,  150. 

"        heavenly,  social,  244. 


Xenophon,  233. 


X. 


Y. 


Young,  Dr.,  quoted,  197. 
Z. 

Zarephath,  274. 
Zwingle,  292. 


Date  Due 


J 


1 


